Letter from Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Delhi, India, to James Ivory, Dinuba, California, 1967 August 12 : autograph manuscript signed.

Going point by point down Ivory's list of suggestions for changes to the "Guru" script, and explaining in great detail why she is "completely opposed to all four of them"; encouraging Ivory to work through the writing of the script and let the greater meaning of the work become clear in its own time; moving on to Ivory's scene-by-scene notes, and explaining why the film should not be set in Banaras [Varanasi], as "It's too utterly Hindu a place, & the atmosphere there would rather clash with the Ustad's personality & indeed whole background [as the Ustad is a Muslim with two wives]," suggesting Lucknow and Hyderabad as possible alternatives, and pointing out that many indoor scenes can be "faked" in Bombay; explaining why the character of Munni is "tucked away" in Delhi, away from the major action of the story; discussing "the Minister scene"; observing that, while Ivory seems to think she portrayed a character's departure too quickly, she thinks he has done it too slowly; suggesting combining scenes 13 and 14; commenting on including scenes between the Ustad and Begum Sahiba when they are alone, and how and when to use Hindi in the film; commenting on some plot points Ivory hasn't reached in his notes-- in favor of including an episode with a witch, opposed to "your bhang party" scene, and insisting that there be three principal characters, not five-- "I can't handle 5"; touching on a few other minor points; describing "The Guru" as she sees it as "a quiet, peaceful film with no harsh relationships, no harsh experiences"; asking if Ivory likes the ending "as it is now"; turning to more practical matters, and asking Ivory, when he comes to India next, to bring a winter suit for Jhab and swimsuits for the children [see MA 23840.378]; asking him to bring another Schaeffer pen for her, as a backup to the Scheaffer he gave her in New York, which is "the most satisfactory pen I've ever had"; returning briefly to comment further on "The Guru"'s ending; entreating Ivory in a postscript to "Finish your script analysis and please send it as quickly as you can."