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Rembering A.K. Abbas Book Club Pune event

June 12, 2022 @ 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

ABOUT K. A. ABBAS

Versatile author, screenwriter, filmmaker, journalist – K.A.Abbas was as prolific as he was progressive. In a career that spanned 50+ years, K.A.Abbas penned 74 books, 90 short stories, 3000 articles, 40 films and several plays and screenplays in Hindi, Urdu and English.

He started out as a journalist for Bombay Chronicle, and was one of the initial members of the Indian People’s Theatre Assn. along with Balraj Sahni, Utpal Dutt and Prithviraj Kapoor.

In Hindi cinema, he directed classics like Dharti ke Lal based on the Bengal Famine, and won National Film Awards for Shehar Aur Sapna (1963), Do Boond Pani (1971) and Saat Hindustani (1969), the film that launched Amitabh Bachchan’s screen career. Abbas was awarded a Padma Shri in 1969 and Palme d’Or (Grand Prize) at the Cannes Film Festival for his screenplay for Neecha Nagar (1946).

He is also known for writing the best of Raj Kapoor’s films, including Awaara (1951), Shree 420 (1955), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Bobby (1973) and Henna (1991).

Abbas’ socio-political consciousness was inspired by socialism. He was deeply moved by the freedom struggle and ideas of secularism. He wrote extensively on the freedom movement and could express complex social and human issues effectively in his writings.

The title of the program is borrowed from K.A.Abbas’ column ‘Last Page’, one of the longest-running columns in the history of Indian journalism. The column began in 1935, and continued until his death in 1987.

Curated and conducted by Nasima Merchant with Farook Merchant, the program seeks to track the life and times of this amazingly prolific and multi-faceted genius. Starting with his biography, the program will chart his impressive literary journey and explore his important novels and short stories.

The famous short stories “Sardarji”,  “The Lamp That Burns All Night”,  and “Twelve Hours”  will be discussed and read.

Zoom  Details :

Zoom URL:      https://bit.ly/3aulza3  Passcode: BookClub
Zoom code 825 8892 1330
SAturday  12th June 2022  time  06.30 pm  IST

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