Letter from James Ivory, New York, New York, to Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and Cyrus Jhabvala, Delhi, India, 1965 December 16 : typescript signed.

Opening by saying it seems to be an ordinary December day where he is, but observing that "Shakespeare Wallah" is opening in London today, and he is struck by how calm he is, in contrast to how he felt when "The Householder" opened, when he was "in a state of collapse"; saying he hasn't heard back from Ruth, and elaborating on his "Ustad" film idea, including some casting ideas-- Sharmila Tagore, James Fox or Tom Courtenay; telling them that the Maestro (Satyajit Ray) was recently in New York, and recounting an evening when they met him in the Algonquin Hotel with two Columbia Records executives, William Shawn, Lillian Ross, and Ray's distributor Edward Harrison, who asked if Shawn was from Columbia Records; saying Ray has approached E.M. Forster about adapting "A Passage to India," and with small encouragement, is going to work on a treatment, which he has asked Ivory to collaborate on (a handwritten note below this passage, with an arrow, states "This is all TOP SECRET!!"); discussing some financial matters, regarding paying back those who invested in "Shakespeare Wallah"; saying they have finished recutting the film and he is mostly happy with it, and fine with the fact that different versions are being shown in various places; telling them that he and Merchant are going to Dinuba for Christmas, with Merchant continuing on to Los Angeles to take meetings with Columbia about the "policeman film" and to try to persuade Marlon Brando to be in the film adaptation of "Vertical and Horizontal," which Walter Matthau has already agreed to; telling them the New York anthology short has fallen through, but they are looking at doing three shorts adapted from Lillian Ross stories instead, although working with her takes longer than working with Ruth because of the former's journalistic background; wishing he was working, and saying Merchant is also restless; telling Ruth to write them in Dinuba; reminding them that "The Householder" is being shown in Dinuba that night, at the Boy Scout benefit.