The Householder is the story of a shy, young, underpaid Delhi schoolteacher (Shashi Kapoor) who marries and then, little by little, gets to know his young wife, Indu (Leela Naidu), during their first year together. She is a charmer with a mind of her own, yet is as unprepared for marriage as he. This landmark film marks the first collaboration between producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (adapting her acclaimed novel for the screen), who’s maintained a productive artistic relationship for forty years and produced many award-winning films.