K.A. Abbas is well known name for many reasons. A novelist, a screen writer, a film maker and columnist of the longest running column- Last Page. One of the most accomplished work of cinema crafted by him was the movie ‘Saat Hindustani’ which saw advent of a lanky young man who rewrote the history of cinema and influenced the entire country for next 40 years… Amitabh Bachchan.
Born in a family proud of being the bloodline of Aiyub Ansari who was a companion of Prophet Muhammad, martyr of 1857 rebellion Khwaja Gulam Abbas and poet Khwaja Altaf Husain Hali who was a student of Mirza Ghalib, K. A. Abbas made a niche for himself. Literature was his natural forte. In about 75 books he wrote, Abbas reflected his socialist and open outlook. His most celebrated work Inquilab is considered to be one of the best pieces of literature in Urdu. It reflected the trauma and pathos of common man in struggle of independence.
His directorial debut was Dharti Ke Laal. With iconic Balraj Sahni, this movie was made for IPTA. The movie dealt with Famine in Bengal of 1943. Around this time only, he wrote Neecha Nagar and Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani for Chetan Anand and V. Shantaram. Former won Golden Palm at Cannes and till date is the only movie with the honor. He also collaborated as writer with Raj Kapoor in thought-provoking movies like Awara, Shree 420, Jaagte Raho and also in likes of Mera Naam Joker, Bobby, Heena. Two other highly rated movies he made were Saat Hindustani and Do Boond Paani. Both were awarded Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Not many people in cinema can boast of such acclaimed profile.
K.A. Abbas’ strength was his sensibility and wide spectrum of knowledge. He had an instinctive sense of film-making and knew how to make a statement with a dialogue or scene. His works were thought-provoking and revealed the reality in a poetic way. If you want to see his genius, watch the last scene of Saat Hindustani where all men come together…
Written By: Sujoy Ghosh
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