In Custody (1993 film)

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
Edited by	Roberto Silvi
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics (US, 1994) Criterion Collection (US DVD, 2005)
Release dates	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.

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
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

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 - duf

vocalists

Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan

References

External links

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

Indian submission for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

1957–1960	Mother India (1957) Madhumati (1958) Apur Sansar (1959)

1961–1980	– (1961) Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) Mahanagar (1963) – (1964) Guide (1965) Amrapali (1966) Aakhri Khat (1967) Majhli Didi (1968) Deiva Magan (1969) – (1970) Reshma Aur Shera (1971) Uphaar (1972) Saudagar (1973) Garm Hava (1974) – (1975) – (1976) Manthan (1977) Shatranj Ke Khilari (1978) – (1979) Payal Ki Jhankaar (1980)

1981–2000	– (1981) – (1982) – (1983) Saaransh (1984) Saagar (1985) Swati Mutyam (1986) Nayakan (1987) Salaam Bombay! (1988) Parinda (1989) Anjali (1990) Henna (1991) Thevar Magan (1992) Rudaali (1993) Muhafiz (1994) Kuruthipunal (1995) Indian (1996) Guru (1997) Jeans (1998) Earth (1999) Hey Ram (2000)

2001–present	Lagaan (2001) Devdas (2002) – (2003) Shwaas (2004) Paheli (2005) Rang De Basanti (2006) Eklavya - The Royal Guard (2007) Taare Zameen Par (2008) Harishchandrachi Factory (2009) Peepli Live (2010) Adaminte Makan Abu (2011) Barfi! (2012) The Good Road (2013) Liar's Dice (2014)

Films by Merchant Ivory Productions

1960s	The Householder (1963) Shakespeare Wallah (1965) The Guru (1969) The Night of Counting the Years (1969)

1970s	Bombay Talkie (1970) Savages (1972) The Wild Party (1975) Autobiography of a Princess (1975) Roseland (1977) Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978) The Five Forty-Eight (1978) The Europeans (1979)

1980s	Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980) Quartet (1981) The Courtesans of Bombay (1983) Heat and Dust (1983) The Bostonians (1984) A Room with a View (1985) Maurice (1987) The Deceivers (1988) The Perfect Murder (1988) Slaves of New York (1989)

1990s	Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990) The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991) Howards End (1992) The Remains of the Day (1993) In Custody (1994) Feast of July (1995) Jefferson in Paris (1995) The Proprietor (1996) Surviving Picasso (1996) Side Streets (1998) A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1999) Cotton Mary (1999)

2000s	The Golden Bowl (2001) The Mystic Masseur (2002) Le Divorce (2003) Heights (2004) The White Countess (2005) The City of Your Final Destination (2007) Before the Rains (2008)