In Custody

Ismail Merchant’s feature directorial debut addresses a subject close to his heart: the expressive Urdu language of Northern India, in danger of extinction as political trends and modernization obscure its contributions to Indian culture. Merchant ‘s treatment is wry and good... See more humored , as his characters – an aging Urdu poet (Shashi Kapoor) and a worshipful young college lecturer – clash despite their shared passion for the beauty of words.