Ajitpal Singh’s Fire In The Mountains Is An Unflinching Portrait Of Rural Womanhood

Ajitpal Singh’s Fire in the Mountains is a striking portrayal of regional life, where the promise of progress is constantly undercut by social realities. Singh excels in anchoring the protagonist’s emotional journey within the breathtaking landscape of Himachal Pradesh. Yet, the film’s aesthetic beauty—lush hills, pristine forests, the grandeur of the Himalayas—ironically stands in contrast to the daily struggles of those who live there.

Set in a remote village, the film presents rural life as both harsh and vibrant—at times regressive, at others daringly alive with resilience and quiet hope.

At the heart of the story is Chandra (Vinamrata Rai), a mother navigating relentless hardship. Each day, she painstakingly carries her wheelchair-bound son down steep, narrow trails for physiotherapy. She shoulders the emotional and practical burdens of the household, juggling endless chores and family demands. Chandra and her husband run a modest homestay catering to tourists, humorously named ‘Switzerland Homestay’. The film opens with her haggling for business, eventually dropping her price again and again—an early glimpse into the compromises she must make just to survive.

Fire in the Mountains Movie Review

Chandra and her family have just made their way to Himalayan hills. Her homestay comes with modern toilets. Chandra’s family lives in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, a state that shares Tibet and Nepal on its sides. The couple doesn’t stay alone. They stay with a widowed sister-in-law, Sonal. The house clings to a hillside, viewing every day of the sunrise and the sunset. 

Chandra is responsive to her duties and never holds her back. She never knows how to stay ideal. Either time she is lugging the well water, carrying on with groceries or visiting her tourists, feeding cattle's or otherwise, she is taking her son to the therapy sessions. On returning home, she has more work piled up. Harshita, her teenage daughter, is a first kid at school and is shown how independent of mind she is growing up to be. She develops a following on TikTok by tuning in to Bollywood-style dances that reach nowhere. The whole story feels so personal even if it lacks craftsmanship. 

The family of Chandra and Dharam is not functional in a good way in that Dharam and Sonal's kindness occasionally peaks out only when they have to expect something out of Chandra. A doting wife, Chandra literally has to fulfil everything to keep running her house. The radio is evident which frequently broadcasts the stories of the work achievements, and speaks of an unnamed prime minister and is mocked by the conditions of the village. 

The strength of Chandra is her devoted nature and that’s what makes us fall in love with her. She is fearless and does things she feels is right for her. She painstakingly makes sure to save every penny to treat her son despite her husband (Dharam) who is guided by a strong force of religion who believes in shamanic activities. She saves money for the treatment of her son (Prakash) despite Dharam whose business ventures never promise success and often always end in failure and losses. She is determined to speak to the head of the village to construct the road so it becomes easier for her to take her son to the treatment. 

Dharam and Chandra both are doing whatever they can to get their son Prakash treatment despite their opposing views. Prakash on the other hand, doesn’t speak a word throughout. He is bullied and mocked by the other village children; however, that doesn’t give him an edge of sympathy. Chandra, too at times has to go through patriarchal and religious oppression. At times in heartbreaking occurrences, it is infuriating to see Chandra resort to her femininity against the corrupt men of her town when she tried to register her son in the school.  

Fire in the Mountains movie, therefore, is spectacular in its conventionality that pits progressive ideals against tradition. The beauty of this movie functions through characters that don’t just stay to deliver dialogues, but they stay to create meaning. It is simply beautiful in the way that the story is plotted fresh against what we expect out of the characters. It makes us understand what it takes to have a blind belief in religion which brings us closer to different societal perspectives. In fact, Singh is shrewd and non-manipulative in his interpretation of Chandra’s conundrums although it is making it difficult for him to figure out the ways to channelise them towards a concrete path. Although fiery, rage and rousing, the film definitely makes a cathartic move. 

Views expressed by the author are their own.