Letter from Ismail Merchant, London, England, to Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Delhi, India, 1971 June 30 : autograph manuscript signed.

Telling her that "[t]he photographs were mailed to you without my note," and thanking her for her card from Kasauli [see MA 23840.945]; saying he is happy with the film; describing the problems and hardships of filming, the difficulties of managing "forty-odd people ... I had to look after their comfort -- sooth [sic] them-- cajole them to get the film finished"; expressing disbelief at how much the cast and crew could eat-- "they devoured food like I have never seen"; describing the seat-of-the-pants way they chose to shoot: "no script-- only in parts which made the actors edgy-- no schedule-- no breakdown-- we just rushed into making the film"; admitting that "[i]f it had gone for another two weeks I would have gone mad [underlined twice]; vowing never to make another film under those conditions; saying he wants to shoot another film in India, but first "Jim should have vacation [sic]"; telling her he liked her new book of short stories, "An Experience of India" and would like to "do ... the Encounter Story" as a film, but "quickly"; asking what she thinks of this idea; saying he can get some funding from France and they could make the film in English and French; telling her she should come to New York in September, even though he might be working on "Flashman" in September and October; saying he is "glad and happy" to hear about Ava's "success" [see MA 23840.950]; sending love to the entire Jhabvala family.