Khwaja Ahmad Abbas is considered one of the pioneers of Indian Parallel or Art Cinema and as a screenwriter, he is also known for writing Raj Kapoor's best films. He set the bar for the filmmakers who came after him. He was an ace story writer, screenplay writer-director, and filmmaker. He was the first who opted to treat cinema in line with their ideological commitments. The first truly realistic films were made in India in the 1940s. After Naya Sansar he made Dharti Ke Lal, and wrote the script for Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani and Neecha Nagar which was nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes in France.
He introduced Amitabh Bachchan to Hindi Cinema in his directorial film 'Saat Hindustani'(1969). His contribution to literature and cinema is unforgettable As a screenwriter, he wrote a number of neo-realistic films, such as Dharti Ke Lal (which he directed), Neecha Nagar (1946) which won the Palme d'Or at the first Cannes Film Festival, Naya Sansar (1941), Jagte Raho (1956), and Saat Hindustani (which he also directed). He is also known for writing the best of Raj Kapoor's films, including the Palme d'Or nominated Awaara (1951), as well as Shree 420 (1955), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Bobby (1973) and Henna (1991).
K A Abbas (7 June 1914 – 1 June 1987) was born in Panipat, now in Haryana. His grandfather Khwaja Gulam Abbas was one of the chief rebels of the 1857 Rebellion movement and the first martyr of Panipat. His father Ghulam-Us-Sibtain graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, was a tutor of a prince and a businessman, who modernized the preparation of Unani medicines. He attended Hali Muslim High School, which was established by his great grandfather. He gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature in 1933 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1935 from Aligarh Muslim University.
He began his career as a journalist at the National Call, a New Delhi-based newspaper. Later while studying law in 1934, started Aligarh Opinion, India's first university students' weekly. He joined The Bombay Chronicle in 1935. He occasionally served as a film critic, but after the film critic of the paper died, he became editor of the film section. His weekly column called 'Last Page' was very popular, it became the longest-running political column in India's history (1935–87).
In 1936, he joined Bombay Talkies as a part time publicist. He used to write novels in English and Urdu even then, his first novel Outside India: The Adventures of a Roving Reporter was published in 1939. He then wrote a story Naya Sansar in Urdu which was later made into a film by Bombay Talkies in 1941.
1946 was a great year for him, this year he produced and directed his first film . Dharti Ke Lal', wrote the story & screenplay of Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani and Neecha Nagar which became the only Indian film to win the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the Cannes Film Festival.
He wrote the screenplay of Awara( 1951) which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He became a permanent screenplay writer for Raj Kapoor after this film. He wrote the screenplay Shree420(1955), Jagte Raho(1956), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Bobby(1973) and Heena(1991)
After producing Dharti Ke Lal in 1946 he produced Munna (1954),The film is stated to be a sequel to Abbas' debut directorial film Dharti Ke Lal (1946), especially with reference to the beginning of Dharti Ke Lal. Cited as the first Indian film produced without songs and dances, it was acclaimed as an international critical success though it failed at the box office.
In 1964 he wrote and directed Shehar Aur Sapna (1964) which won the 1964 National Film Award for Best Feature Film and was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Film. It was based on Abbas's own story One Thousand Nights on a Bed of Stones, which describes the struggle in the life of pavement dwellers in the backdrop of rapid industrialization. The theme of the film signified a marked departure from the films made in 1950s, the opening decade of independent India,
Saat Hindustani(1969) was another important film produced and directed by him. The film portrays the heroic story of seven Indians who attempt to liberate Goa from the Portuguese colonial rule. Amitabh Bachchan was introduced in this film as one of Hindustani. The film won the first The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration
Do Boond Pani is a 1971 Hindi social drama film produced and directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. The film won the award for Best Feature film on National integration.
Achanak (1973) directed by Gulzar, written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and starring Vinod Khanna. Gulzar received a Filmfare nomination as Best Director for this film. Even though Gulzar is an accomplished lyricist, this film did not have any songs in it. K.A. Abbas earned a Filmfare nomination for best story.
He was a prolific writer, and novelist, during his illustrious career spanning five decades, Abbas wrote over 73 books in English, Hindi and Urdu.. Abbas was considered a leading light of the Urdu short story. His best-known fictional work remains 'Inquilab‘.
His autobiography, I Am not an Island: An Experiment in Autobiography was first published in 1977 and later released in 2010. He died on 1 June 1987 in Mumbai,
His books in English, Urdu and Hindi
- Outside India: The Adventures of a Roving Reporter, Hali Pub. House, Delhi, 1939.
- An Indian looks at America (The Rampart library of good reading), 1943.
- An Indian looks at America, Thacker, Bombay, 1943.
- Tomorrow is ours! A novel of the India of Today; Bombay, Popular Book Depot, 1943.
- "Let India fight for freedom", Bombay, Sound magazine (Publication dept.), 1943.
- Defeat for death: A story without names, Padmaja Publications 1944.
- "...and One Did Not Come Back!", Sound magazine, 1944
- A report to Gandhiji: A survey of Indian and world events during the 21 months of Gandhiji's incarceration, 1944
- Invitation to Immortality: a one-act play, Bombay: Padma Pub., 1944.
- Not all Lies. Delhi: Rajkamal Pub., 1945.
- Blood and stones and other stories. Bombay: Hind Kitabs, 1947
- Rice and other stories, Kutub, 1947
- Kashmir fights for freedom, 1948
- I Write as I Feel, Hind Kitabs, Bombay, 1948
- Cages of freedom and other stories, Bombay, Hind Kitabs Ltd., 1952.
- China can make it: Eye-witness account of the amazing industrial progress in new China, 1952.
- In the Image of Mao Tse-Tung, Peoples Publishing House, 1953
- INQILAB. First Great Novel of the Indian Revolution, Jaico Publishing House, 1958
- Face To Face with Khrushchov, Rajpal & Sons, 1960
- Till We Reach the Stars. The Story of Yuri Gagarin, Asia Pub. House, 1961
- The Black Sun and Other stories, Jaico Publishing House, 1963.
- Raat ki bahon mein, Hindi, Radhakr̥ishṇa Prakashan, 1965.
- Indira Gandhi; return of the red rose, Hind Pocket Books, New Delhi, 1966.
- Divided heart, Paradise Publications, 1968
- When Night Falls, 1968.
- Chabili, Hindi, Allahabad, Mitra Prakashan, 1968.
- The most beautiful woman in the world, Paradise Publications, 1968
- Salma aur Samundar, Urdu/Hindi, New Delhi, Komala Pocket Books, 1969.
- Mera Naam Joker, 1970
- Maria, Delhi, Hind Pocket Books, 1971.
- Teen Pahiye, Urdu/Hindi, Delhi, Rajpal & Sons, 1971.
- Bobby, Urdu/Hindi, 1973
- Boy meets Girl, Sterling Publishers, 1973
- That Woman: Her Seven Years in Power; New Delhi, Indian Book Co., 1973
- Jawaharlal Nehru: Portrait of an integrated Indian; New Delhi, NCERT, 1974.
- Fasilah", Urud/Hindi, Hind Pocket Books, Delhi, 1974
- Distant dream, New Delhi, Sterling Pub., 1975.
- The walls of glass: A novel, 1977
- Barrister-at-law: A play about the early life of Mahatma Gandhi, New Delhi, Orient Paperbacks, 1977.
- Men and women: Specially selected long and short stories, 1977
- Mad, mad, mad world of Indian films, 1977
- I Am not an Island: An Experiment in Autobiography, New Delhi, 1977.
- Four Friends, Arnold-Heinemann, New Delhi, 1977.
- 20 March 1977: a day like any other day, Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi, 1978.
- Janata in a jam?, 1978.
- The Naxalites, Lok Publications, 1979.
- Bread, beauty, and revolution: being a chronological selection from the Last pages, 1947 to 1981, Marwah Publications, New Delhi, 1982.
- Nili Sari aur Doosri Kahaniyan̲, Urdu, Maktabah-e-Jamia, New Delhi, 1982.
- The gun and other stories, Arnold-Heinemann, New Delhi, 1985.
- The Thirteenth Victim, Amar Prakashan, 1986.
- The World Is My Village: A Novel With An Index, Ajanta, 1984. ISBN 978-81-202-0104-0
- Bombay My Bombay: A Love Story of the City, Ajanta Publications/Ajanta Books International, 1987. ISBN 978-81-202-0174-3
- Indira Gandhi: The Last Post; Bombay, Ramdas G. Bhatkal, 1989
- Defeat for death: a story without names. Baroda: Padmaja Pub., 1994
- How Films Are Made, National Book Trust, 1999, ISBN 978-81-237-1103-4
- Soney Chandi ke Butt, Urdu, Alhamra, 2001, ISBN 978-969-516-074-9
- Khwaja Ahmad Abbas; Vasant Sāthe; Suhail Akhtar (2010). The Dialogue of Awaara: Raj Kapoor's Immortal Classic. Vijay Jani, Nasreen Munni Kabir. Niyogi Books. ISBN 978-81-89738-54-9.
