Overview
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 as Nur
- Om Puri as Deven
- Shabana Azmi as Imtiaz Begum
- Neena Gupta as Sarla
- Sushma Seth as Safiya Begum
- Tinnu Anand
- Prayag Raj
- Parikshat Sahni
- Sagar Arya
- Yusuf Khurram