Ismail Merchant

Ismail Merchant (born Ismail Noor Muhammad Abdul Rahman; 25 December 1936 – 24 May 2005) was an Indian film producer. He worked for many years in collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included film director (and Merchant's longtime professional and domestic partner) James Ivory as well as screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Together they made film adaptations from the novels of E.M. Forster and Henry James. Merchant received the BAFTA Award for Best Film for A Room with a View, and Howards End (1992). He received Academy Award nominations for Best Live Action Short Film for The Creation of a Woman (1959) and for Best Picture for A Room with a View (1985), Howards End (1992), and The Remains of the Day (1993).

Early life and education Born in Bombay (Mumbai), Merchant was son of Hazra (née Memon) and Noor Mohamed Rehman, a Bombay textile dealer. He grew up speaking Gujarati, Urdu and Memoni fluently, and he later picked up Arabic and English while at school. When he was 11, he and his family were caught up in the 1947 partition of India. His father was the President of the Muslim League and refused to move to Pakistan. Merchant later said that he carried memories of "butchery and riots" into adulthood. As a child at the age of nine, Merchant delivered a speech about partition at a political rally in front of a crowd of 10,000.

At age 13, he developed a close friendship with actress Nimmi, who introduced him to studios in Bombay (the center of Hindi film industry). It was she who inspired his ambitious rise to stardom. Merchant studied at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai and received BA degree of University of Bombay. It was here he developed a love for movies. When he was 22, he moved to the US to study at New York University where he received an MBA degree. While in New York, he gave up his family name of Abdul Rehman for Merchant.

He supported himself by working as a messenger for the UN in New York and used this opportunity to persuade Indian delegates to fund his film projects. Of this experience, he said, "I was not intimidated by anyone or anything." Their professional and romantic partnership lasted 44 years, from 1961 until Merchant's death in 2005.

The Guinness Book of World Records says theirs was the longest partnership in independent cinema history. Until Merchant's death in 2005, they produced nearly 40 films, including a number of award winners. Novelist Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was the screenwriter for most of their productions.

In 1963, MIP premiered its first production, The Householder, based upon a novel by Jhabvala (who also wrote the screenplay). This feature became the first Indian-made film to be distributed internationally by a major American studio, Columbia Pictures. However, it wasn't until the 1970s that partnership "hit on a successful formula for studied, slow-moving pieces ... Merchant Ivory became known for their attention to tiny period detail and opulence of their sets". Their first success in this style was Jhabvala's adaptation of Henry James's The Europeans.

In addition to producing, Merchant directed a number of films and two TV features. For TV, he directed a short feature entitled Mahatma and the Mad Boy, and a full-length feature, The Courtesans of Bombay, made for Britain's Channel Four. Merchant made his film directorial debut with 1993's In Custody based on a novel by Anita Desai, and starring Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor. Filmed in Bhopal, India, it won National Awards from the Government of India for Best Production Design and Special Jury award for lead actor Shashi Kapoor. His second directing feature, The Proprietor, starred Jeanne Moreau, Sean Young, Jean-Pierre Aumont and Christopher Cazenove and was filmed on location in Paris, France. Of his partnership with Ivory and Jhabvala, Merchant once commented: "It is a strange marriage we have at Merchant Ivory ... I am an Indian Muslim, Ruth is a German Jew, and Jim is a Protestant American. Someone once described us as a three-headed god. Maybe they should have called us a three-headed monster!"

Cooking and writing Merchant was fond of cooking, and he wrote several books including Ismail Merchant's Indian Cuisine, Ismail Merchant's Florence, Ismail Merchant's Passionate Meals, and Ismail Merchant's Paris: Filming and Feasting in France. He also wrote books on filmmaking, including a book about the making of the film The Deceivers in 1988 titled Hullabaloo in Old Jeypur, and another about the making of The Proprietor called Once Upon a Time ... The Proprietor. His last book was entitled My Passage from India: A Filmmaker's Journey from Bombay to Hollywood and Beyond.

Death Merchant died in Westminster, England aged 68, following surgery for abdominal ulcers. He was buried in Bada Qabrastan Mumbai in Marine Lines, Mumbai, India on 28 May 2005, in keeping with his wish to be buried with his ancestors.

Filmography

Producer Year Title Notes 1960 The Creation of Woman Short 1963 The Householder 1965 Shakespeare Wallah 1969 The Guru 1970 Bombay Talkie 1972 Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization Television 1973 Helen: Queen of the Nautch Girls Short 1973 Savages 1974 Mahatma and the Mad Boy Short, also director 1975 The Wild Party 1975 Autobiography of a Princess 1976 Sweet Sounds Short 1977 Roseland 1976 Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures 1979 The Europeans 1980 Jane Austen in Manhattan 1981 Quartet 1983 Heat and Dust 1983 The Courtesans of Bombay also director 1984 The Bostonians 1985 A Room with a View 1985 Noon Wine Television Film, PBS executive producer (not Merchant Ivory) 1986 My Little Girl executive producer 1987 Maurice 1988 The Perfect Murder executive producer 1988 The Deceivers 1989 Slaves of New York 1990 Mr. & Mrs. Bridge 1990 The Ballad of the Sad Café 1991 Street Musicians of Bombay executive producer 1992 Howards End 1993 The Remains of the Day 1995 Jefferson in Paris 1995 Feast of July executive producer 1996 Surviving Picasso 1998 A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries 1998 Side Streets executive producer 2000 Cotton Mary 2001 The Golden Bowl 2002 Merci Docteur Rey 2003 Le Divorce 2004 Heights 2005 The White Countess Released posthumously

Director Year Title Notes 1974 Mahatma and the Mad Boy short 1983 The Courtesans of Bombay docudrama 1993 In Custody feature debut 1995 Lumière and Company segment: Merchant Ivory, Paris Co-director with James Ivory 1996 The Proprietor 1999 Cotton Mary 2001 The Mystic Masseur

Actor Year Title Role Notes 1963 The Householder Minor Role uncredited 1965 Shakespeare Wallah Theater Owner uncredited 1969 The Guru Master of Ceremonies 1970 Bombay Talkie Fate Machine Producer 1989 Slaves of New York Party Guest uncredited 1995 Jefferson in Paris Tipoo Sultan's Ambassador 2023 Merchant Ivory Himself

Awards and nominations In 2002 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India. He was also a recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.