In Custody (or Muhafiz) is a 1993 film by Merchant Ivory Productions. It was directed by Ismail Merchant, with screenplay by Anita Desai and Shahrukh Husain. It is based upon Desai's 1984 Booker Prize nominated novel In Custody.In Custody (1993 film) on Complete Index To World Film (CITWF) website Retrieved 23 October 2020
Plot synopsis
Deven's (Om Puri) position as a professor of Hindi at a local college is only a means to an end. His first love is the Urdu language and in particular Urdu poetry. Deven's multiple (and often stymied) attempts to interview the great Urdu poet, Nur (Shashi Kapoor), act as a metaphor for the clash between modernization and tradition.
Cast
Shashi Kapoor... Nur Shahjenabadi Shabana Azmi... Imtiaz Begum Om Puri... Deven Sharma Parikshat Sahni... Siddiqui Amjad Khan... Musician Sushma Seth... Safiya Begum Neena Gupta... Sarla Sharma (Deven's Wife) Tinnu Anand... Murad
Release The film opened on 3 screens in New York City on 14 May 1994 and grossed $7,701 for the weekend. It opened on 3 screens in London on 3 June 1994 and grossed £2,814 in its opening weekend. It grossed $92,612 in the United States. Awards 1993: Tokyo Film Festival in Kyoto (Official Selection) nomination 1994: National Film Award Special Jury Award: Shashi Kapoor Best Art Direction: Suresh Sawant
Musicians and vocalists Sultan Khan - sarangi Sunil Das - sitar Ulhas Bapat - santoor Ronu Majumdar - flute Fazal Qureshi - tabla Taufiq Qureshi - percussion Pyush Kanojia - keyboard Zakir Hussain - tabla Sadiq Qureshi - daf
Vocalists Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan
The film also features poetry by Faiz Ahmad Faiz.
References
External links In Custody at Merchant Ivory Productions Film review - New York Times Archives