In Custody / Muhafiz
Directed by	Ismail Merchant
Produced by	Wahid Chowhan Paul Bradley (executive) Donald Rosenfeld (executive)
Written by	Anita Desai (novel) Shahrukh Husain
Starring	Shashi Kapoor Shabana Azmi Om Puri Sushma Seth Amjad Khan Mohammed Ali Parikshat Sahni
Music by	Zakir Hussain Ustad Sultan Khan
Cinematography	Larry Pizer
Editing by	Roberto Silvi
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics (US, 1994) Criterion Collection (US DVD, 2005)
Release date(s)	October 1993 (Tokyo Film Festival in Kyoto) 8 June 1994 (France)
Running time	126 minutes
Language	Urdu Hindi

In Custody/Muhafiz (1993) is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions. It was directed by Ismail Merchant, with a screenplay by Anita Desai and Shahrukh Husain. It is based upon Desai's 1984 Booker Prize nominated novel In Custody.

[edit] 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), acts as a metaphor for the clash between modernization and tradition.

[edit] Cast

• Shashi Kapoor .... Nur
• Sushma Seth .... Safiya Begum
• Shabana Azmi .... Imtiaz Begum
• Om Puri .... Deven
• Tinnu Anand .... Murad
• Parikshat Sahni .... Siddiqui
• Amjad Khan .... Musician
• Mohammed Ali .... The Chief Guest
• Neena Gupta ... Sarla

[edit] Awards

• 1993 : Tokyo Film Festival in Kyoto (Official Selection) nomination.
• 1994 : President of India Gold Medal for Best Picture
• 1994: National Film Award
  • Special Jury Award: Shashi Kapoor
  • Best Art Direction: Suresh Sawant

[edit] 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 - duf

vocalists

• Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan

[edit] External links

• In Custody at Merchant Ivory Productions
• Film review - New York Times Archives
• Film review
• Interview with Ismail Merchant which provides background and context for the story
• In Custody / Muhafiz at the Internet Movie Database

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