The are some moments of stillness, silence and pitch darkness in Shahi AJ’s film, Letters Unwritten To Naiyer Masud. It’s as if Shahi is trying to make sense of the difference between the modern-day crammed, chaotic Lucknow in front of his eyes, as against the aristocratic Adabistan he read about in Masud’s stories.  Shahi’s appreciation of the urban change reflects in blackouts on the screen. What happened to the epitome of etiquette? How did Masudsaab perceive the decline at the end of his life? Questions mount and make their way on to the screen.

Shahi AJ’s hour-long docu-fiction merges animation sequences with documentary footage. It unfolds as a series of visual letters written to a literary figure by members of his fan club who—while making a film on the writer’s worldview—are looking for quaint Lucknow locales and mansions evoked in Masud’s writings.