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 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.

Cast

Shashi Kapoor

Nur

Om Puri

Deven

Shabana Azmi

Imtiaz Begum

Neena Gupta

Sarla

Sushma Seth

Safiya Begum

Tinnu Anand

Prayag Raj

Parikshat Sahni

Sagar Arya

Yusuf Khurram