The theme running through all her films, Mehta says, is passion. Which is why she decided to name them after the three elements. And for me it was important to see what happened when we made an extreme choice that didn't hurt anybody but gave us a feeling of self-worth. A technically perfect film, it raises important questions. According to Mehta, women react differently to different situations.
Earth too takes up a sensitive subject.
The director decided to make the film after reading Bapsi Sidhwa's autobiographical novel Ice Candy Man. The most incredible sequence for me in Fire was when Radha got caught in a blaze. In Earth the canvas is much bigger. It deals with many questions. The subject could be controversial but it isn't because it is Partition seen through the eyes of a child.