In Custody

This movie showcases the decline of a language and its effect on a people, i.e. the Muslims of India. A great movie with many comical elements, but an all pervasive sense of loss and decline permeates every scene of the movie as an idealist teacher searches for a lost litrery treasure.

The Ivory-Merchant duo are known for their luxurious-looking films, the camera often caressing each fish-fork with the same love it displays for the protagonist. It's somewhat refreshing here to see Merchant without Ivory. Merchant's camera displays the same love for detail that the Ivory-Merchant duo's does, except that it is much grittier, caressing the protagonist's vomit with the same attention that it bestows upon his exquisite Jamewaar shawl. I refer to Shashi Kapoor as the protagonist, because he steals the role away from Om Puri. Om Puri plays the timid Deven, a college professor bent on interviewing his idol, the formerly grand but now-alcoholic Urdu poet, Nur. Shashi Kapoor is perfect as the obese, alcoholic, henpecked, decaying poet because his own appearance encapsulates this decay. Those who do not recognize him as the hero in scores of Bollywood films or in many early Ivory-Merchant productions will miss the subtlety of this cinematic reference, because Kapoor's own physical decay perfectly encapsulates the theme of decay that is central to the film. Shabana Azmi is as competent as ever, bringing a hint of feminism to her character's plagiarism of her husband's work, as well as highlighting the inherently masculinist nature of the poetry that confines a woman's role to the object of desire and nothing else.

In Custody is the adaptation of the novel by Anita Desai and revolves around a poet Nur Sahjahanabadi.

Deven(OM Puri) is a Hindi teacher and is in love with the Urdu language and poetry. He wants to take an interview of Nur Shahjehanbadi, the renowned poet. But there are several obstacles in his path. Nur is living a silent life with well wishers but not in a good condition. He refuses to give interview and says Urdu is taking its last breath. So now, what will Deven do?

The movie is an important movie for a lot of reasons. How a declining language affects people, the poet who was once an eminent poet is now almost forgotten. How the family of poet suffer and the feelings of a poet.

Shashi Kapoor as the poet Nur, is just terrific. He is completely convincing and just by looking at him we feel that we are seeing Nur Shahjehanbadi in front of us. He makes us feel that the character of Nur is so real. There is that pain and emotion that reflects on his face.

Om Puri as the college professor is just superb. Shabana Azmi as Nur's wife is terrific. She plays the part of dominating and irritating wife with perfection.

But it's Shashi Kapoor's movie all the way. He just stals the show from all the actors and dominates the screen with his voice, body language and mannerism.

Riding on amazing performance, this movie is an important movie both for cinema lovers and poetry lovers.

The movie is loaded with metaphors depicting the death of Urdu poetry. The decaying mansions, the poet's failing health, his fall from grace all add up. The poverty has desensitized the college youth from being able to nurture a taste for poetry. They prefer to get diplomas in "japanese electronic gadgetry". Its grim. But its unavoidable. Urdu was cherished by the elite and rarely accepted by the masses. It was a medium of flattery, romance and also of unabashed obsequiousness. Poets almost ask for poverty unless they have a gracious benefactor. Like a lot of other artifacts of the past, it evokes wistfulness. The art though lives on in isolated pockets of the country.

Merchant Ivory movies are often about forgotten times , forgotten cultures and forgotten people. This one is no different. The ever dependable Om Puri plays an Urdu professor who attempts to document a dying but once grand urdu poet Nur (played convincingly by an obese Shashi Kapoor). Through his rather struggling attempt the story portrays the common hurdles which the language - lack of finance, poor understanding of technology and maybe all things modern, the complete ignorance of youth of the art and not to mention the petty selfishness of untalented people trying to hang on to what may be long gone

The film as usual is beautifully art directed. The sets and settings take you right into old Muslim mohallas of a small city in MP.

The performances of almost all are wonderful including an incredible outburst by Nur's second prostitute wife who wished she could have been a poet but couldn't due to the social class that she survives on.

Its a poignant tale of subdued frustration which artists of dying arts often face.It also has some wonderful Urdu Poetry (a little like the more popular Sher o Shairi) A moving and poignant tale of decay, ambition and neglect.Highly recommended to Merchant Ivory, Om Puri and of course urdu fans

Memorable quote " These electronic things electric fans, tape recorder are no good. They only confuse man more." - Poet Nur (Shashi Kapoor)