Ismat and Annie (Promo)
Channel: Indian Diplomacy
Date: 2010-07-28

Ismat Chughtai and Qurrat-ul-Ain-Haider were born barely a decade apart in towns close to each other in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Both were influenced by works of revolutionary writers and took to writing at a time when women writers were expected to be conformist and subdued. Each broke from traditions and wrote about the world they were familiar with. Bold and ahead of their times, the universality of their stories made them immensely popular and gave immediacy to their characters, cutting across caste, religion and stereotypes. 'Ismat and Annie' chronicles the lives and works of Ismat Chughtai and Qurrat-ul-Ain Haider (also known as Annie), who, in spite of the turmoil and turbulence in their own personal lives and the period they lived in, contributed immeasurably to the Indian literary landscape.