amit agarwal While this directorial debut from Ismail Merchent leaves most westerners cold and thinking this movie to be about the dying language of Urdu its a actually the study of two characters who put their love of art above everything else and their smoldering passion is captured perfectly.Important here is to note that while the subject chosen has been Urdu poetry it could have been replaced as easily by say Indian classical music and the movie would have worked just as well. Merchent tries to capture the situation of the artist and his ardent followers juxtaposing the touching sincerity of Om Puri with that of the the poet Nurs(played by Shashi Kapoor) bunch of sycophants. The film contains many local nuances which may be missed by non Indian audiences which is what makes this work a true labor of love as Merchent never tries to simplify the context or the complexity of the characterization.Great script, wonderful overall performances by the actors and a movie that truly enlarges ones world view! I am reminded of Milan Kunderas quote about Pargue -that the city is disappearing like a poem written on piece of burning paper. Merchent captures remnants of that disappearing poetry and the movie is like a slow burn on celluloid!

proserpine 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.

donelan-1 The first scene of an old man composing a poem, as he looks out the window of his decaying villa at the timeless Indian landscape, establishes that he is a great poet. The rest of the film shows us the price that he has willingly paid for his poetry, and the tragedy of writing in a dying language. The comic efforts of the school teacher to record the old man reading his poetry highlight the tragedy, and as the teacher becomes more and more entangled in the poet's life, he comes to understand (as we do) that none of the poet's sacrifices have diminished him, and that he has no regrets. Perhaps the most poignant scene is the teacher's interview with the poet's young second wife, who (unable to create poetry) performs his poems to music and passes them off as her own. Her response to his charge of plagiarism leaves him speechless, and reveals more about the position of women in Indian society than a dozen feminist studies. Perhaps the reason why this film received poor reviews is that everyone is looking for Hollywood (or Bollywood) stereotypes, and missing a very moving story that is told in a quiet and unpretentious way.

kaahmed 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.