'' is a
Novel by
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala which won the
Booker Prize in
1975 . It was also released as a
Merchant Ivory Productions film in 1983, with a screenplay by Jhabvala.
The events of the story take place during both the period of the
British Raj during the
1920s and the present day of the film (the
1980s ). A young English woman, Anne (portrayed by
Julie Christie in the present day), searches for the truth about her grand-aunt Olivia (1920s).
Anne discovers that Olivia was a woman smothered by the social restrictions placed upon her by
British society. She falls in love with a
Nawab (portrayed by superstar
Shashi Kapoor ) and becomes
Pregnant with his child. Her decision to abort the baby results in a scandal. In discovering the truth about her aunt, Anne also comes to understand herself better and develops an interest in
India .
''Heat and Dust'' (1983) is a
Merchant Ivory Productions award winning film, with a screenplay by
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based upon her novel. The film was directed by
James Ivory and produced by
Ismail Merchant .
According to the Museum of Broadcast Communications there was "a cycle of film and television productions which emerged during the first half of the '' (1984) and ''
A Passage To India '' (1984).
