It was directed by Ismail Merchant, with screenplay by Anita Desai and Shahrukh Husain.

[1] It is based upon Desai's 1984 Booker Prize nominated novel In Custody.

[3][4] Deven's (Om Puri) position as a professor of Hindi at a local college is only a means to an end.

Deven's multiple (and often stymied) attempts to interview the great Urdu poet, Nur (Shashi Kapoor), act as a metaphor for the clash between modernization and tradition.

The film opened on 3 screens in New York City on 14 May 1994 and grossed $7,701 for the weekend.