Ali Character Analysis in In Custody

Ali is a servant boy who works for Nur. He is constantly helping Nur walk, serving him food and rum, and cleaning up his messes. Nevertheless, Nur treats Ali with cruelty and indifference. This is the first sign in the book of how indulgence, literary fame, and old age turned Nur into a callous, selfish, and corrupt person.

Ali Character Timeline in In Custody

The timeline below shows where the character Ali appears in In Custody. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

A servant boy (Ali) enters the room with tea, interrupting the scene, and several other people rush up the... (full context)

Memory and the Passage of Time Theme Icon

Indian Identity and Pluralism Theme Icon

...swarm around the old man and start picking at his bald head. Nur calmly has Ali feed the pigeons, and they leave him alone. Deven asks if Nur is alright; Nur... (full context)

The servant boy (Ali) brings Nur inside to take a bath. Deven sits down, frustrated that everyone is ignoring... (full context)

...scarfs down handful after handful of biryani and kebabs, which spill all over his clothes. (Ali tries and fails to clean up after him.) Someone hands Deven a plate of the... (full context)

...Nur declares that even film songs are better than this poem, and he yells at Ali to go wake up his son and have him sing. The tall man angrily kicks... (full context)

Family, Gender, and Indian Tradition Theme Icon

...When Deven helps him stand, someone asks if he isn’t enjoying the performance. Deven and Ali help Nur stand and walk upstairs to his bed, where he collapses. (full context)

Ali brings Nur a drink, then he returns to the concert, leaving Nur and Deven alone.... (full context)

...poetic success. Then, she drops a flood of rupee bills on the floor and calls Ali to pick them up. Nur tells Ali not to touch the money, but Imtiaz declares... (full context)

...poetry. Deven furiously says that he’s wrong, but Nur orders Deven to be quiet. Suddenly, Ali comes inside and explains that Imtiaz wants to see both Deven and Nur. The men... (full context)