Fatima Rizvi?s masterful translation of Javed Siddiqi?s much-celebrated Urdu pen-portraits? Raushandaan (2012) and Langar Khana (2015)?now uncovers these mysteries for a wider English-reading audience.
Wonderfully anecdotal yet deeply intimate, Shadows on the Wall offers rare character sketches of luminaries from the golden age of Hindi cinema and Urdu literature, alongside other progressives, liberals and dreamers who challenged conventions and redefined narratives. Through them, Siddiqi also provides a glimpse into the social realities of the time, weaving in memories and characters from his own childhood, his struggles from making ends meet as an inexperienced Urdu translator and journalist to a fledgling screenwriter. Shadows on the Wall is an evocative collection of portraits that are a delicious blend of storytelling and memory.