In Custody (film)

In Custody / Muhafiz
Directed by	Ismail Merchant
Written by	Anita Desai Shahrukh Husain
Based on	In Custody by Anita Desai
Produced by	Wahid Chowhan Paul Bradley (executive) Donald Rosenfeld (executive)
Starring	Shashi Kapoor Shabana Azmi Om Puri Sushma Seth Neena Gupta Tinnu Anand Prayag Raj Ajay Sahni Maza Bi
Cinematography	Larry Pizer
Edited by	Roberto Silvi
Music by	Zakir Hussain Ustad Sultan Khan
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics (USA) Mayfair (UK)
Release dates	October 1993 (1993-10)(Tokyo Film Festival) 14 May 1994 (1994-5-14)(New York) 3 June 1994 (1994-6-3)(London)
Running time	126 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom India United States
Languages	Hindi Urdu [1]
Budget	$1 million [2]
Box office	$0.1 million (US/UK)

In Custody/Muhafiz is a 1993 film by Merchant Ivory Productions. It was directed by Ismail Merchant, with screenplay by Anita Desai and Shahrukh Husain. ^[1] It is based upon Desai's 1984 Booker Prize nominated novel In Custody . ^{[3] [4]}

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 ^{[1] [3]}
• Shabana Azmi... Imtiaz Begum ^{[1] [3]}
• Om Puri... Deven Sharma ^[3]
• Parikshat Sahni... Siddiqui
• Amjad Khan... Musician
• Sushma Seth... Safiya Begum
• Neena Gupta... Sarla Sharma (Deven's Wife)
• Tinnu Anand... Murad ^[3]

Release

The film opened on 3 screens in New York City on 14 May 1994 and grossed $7,701 for the weekend. ^[5] It opened on 3 screens in London on 3 June 1994 and grossed £2,814 in its opening weekend. ^[6] It grossed $92,612 in the United States. ^[5]

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 ^[1]
• Sunil Das - sitar
• Ulhas Bapat - santoor
• Ronu Majumdar - flute
• Fazal Qureshi - tabla
• Taufiq Qureshi - percussion
• Pyush Kanojia - keyboard
• Zakir Hussain - tabla ^[1]
• Sadiq Qureshi - daf

Vocalists

• Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan

The film also features poetry by Faiz Ahmad Faiz. ^[7]

References

1. "In Custody (1993 film)". American Film Institute website. AFI Catalog. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
2. "Merchant Ivory Productions Budget vs US Gross 1986-96". Screen International . 13 September 1996. p. 19.
3. Caryn James (15 April 1994). "Review/Film; Ismail Merchant Directs First Feature (In Custody - 1993 film)". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
4. In Custody (1993 film) on Complete Index To World Film (CITWF) website Retrieved 23 October 2020
5. In Custody at Box Office Mojo
6. "UK this week". Screen International . 10 June 1994. p. 34.
7. Madhu Jain (31 December 1993). "Ismail Merchant captures the crumbling world of a poet". India Today .

External links

• In Custody at Merchant Ivory Productions
• Film review - New York Times Archives
• Obituary of Ismail Merchant which provides background and context for the story Archived 26 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine
• In Custody / Muhafiz at IMDb