Police and the theatre management said it was only a precautionary measure though they did not anticipate trouble.

Sai Kishore is running only one show of Fire. Other theatres withdrew the film sometime back on account of poor audience turnout.

However, the incidents in Mumbai and Delhi have served to draw audiences to Sai Kishore to watch the film. For the last two days, the theatre has prominently displayed the `house-full' sign.

Nagesh, who is in his 20s, came to the film along with 14 friends and succeeded in securing tickets after waiting an hour in the queue. The group felt that the film would be banned soon and were, therefore, in a hurry to see it.

Meanwhile, writers and women's organisations have condemned the incidents in Mumbai and Delhi, saying they amounted to anattack on the freedom of artistic expression.

Vasanta Kannabiran, who is associated with the group Asmita, said she had expected such a response from ``right-wing forces''.

``The film exposes the hollowness of the family structure and the isolation of women. In other words, it is a critique of the family relationship everyone talks about. They cannot tolerate it,'' she observed.

Well-known Telugu writer Volga felt that the attack on theatres screening Fire was part of the trend witnessed during the last three years, when sustained attempts were made to curb the artistic, cultural and cinematic freedom. Volga, who attended the international festival in Tiruvananthapuram two years ago where Fire was screened, said there was an adverse reaction from other directors too. ``One need not agree with what is portrayed in the film. But differences of opinion can always be expressed through discussion instead of resorting to violence,'' she said.