Based on the Booker Prize-nominated novel by Anita Desai, In Custody—producer Ismail Merchant’s directorial debut—is a wry, lyrical drama about the contemporary Indian culture. Nur (Shashi Kapoor) is considered the greatest living Urdu poet, and Deven (Om Pore) hopes to rekindle interest in the language by recording Nut reciting the magical verse. But multiple problems block Deven’s path, the greatest these being Nur’s two shrewish wives, his love of drink, and the vastly bloated poet himself. Deven’s monstrous task quickly becomes a central odyssey that follows humorous paths to an unexpected conclusion.