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.

• Merchant Ivory Productions
• Shashi Kapoor
• Om Puri
• Shabana Azmi
• Neena Gupta
• Sushma Seth
• Tinnu Anand
• Prayag Raj
• Parikshat Sahni