Muhafiz | The Critique

Merchant Ivory films set in India are perfect mélange of colonial aesthetics and Indian emotions. Muhafiz or In Custody is a fine example. Muhafiz was Ismail Merchant’s first feature and was backed with over three decades of world class filmmaking. The outcome justifies the burden. Ismail Merchant deliver a world class film. Starring Shashi Kapoor, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi and Sushma Seth in lead roles, Muhafiz explores the decline of Urdu in India with industrial development and globalization.

Deven (Om Puri) is a Hindi teacher whose first love is Urdu. His passion for Urdu poetry is admired by an editor friend of his who asks him to interview one of the living legends of Urdu Poetry – Noor Shahjehanabadi played by Shashi Kapoor who had gone past his best age and shape but his diction and mannerism were as good as they were in his best days. Noor has two wife – first wife is practical and trying to work out life for the family while second wife who is not only young, she believes that she writes well. However, everyone doubts that she passes off Noor’s poetry as her own. Deven wants to interview Noor but faces troubles from all directions – Noor’s falling health, his friends, his wives and budget. There are some moments where you feel that Deven is putting too much on stake for a fanciful idea. But the conviction Deven has in his passion is exemplary. He is frustrated but not done.

Muhafiz shows a brilliant contrast in Old World and New World – how meaning of life has changed. Noor is metaphor for the Old World being adored by a present (Om Puri) and ignored by New World (many other characters). Ismail Merchant blends music with brilliant performances and weaves out an exceptional film out of a rather average story.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh