Ismail Merchant
/ˌɪsmaɪl ˈmɜːtʃənt/, /ˌɪzmeɪl ˈmɜːtʃənt/
/ˌɪsmaɪl ˈmɜːrtʃənt/, /ˌɪzmeɪl ˈmɜːrtʃənt/
- (1936-2005) an Indian film producer who, together with James Ivory and the writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, made a number of successful films, including Heat and Dust (1983) and A Room with a View (1986), which both won Oscars. They are particularly associated with making romantic films set in a period of the past, with great attention to historical detail and the attitudes of the characters, such as The Golden Bowl (2000) based on the novel by Henry James.