’People remember Abbas only for Saat Hindustani’

'People remember Abbas only for Saat Hindustani'

For decades, KA Abbas might have stridden across different strata of the Hindi film industry yet his written works remain largely unread. Friend, documentary filmmaker and editor Suresh Kohli speaks about Abbas the author and his writings, which have got a new lease of life

Ideally, Suresh Kohli should be elated. After all, he has edited An Evening in Lucknow, a series of selected stories written by the legendary Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, which was recently released by Rishi Kapoor in the city. Prod him a bit and he lets you in on the true picture.

"His works have gotten buried under the rubble of reel life cinema and Bollywood's stardust. My biggest challenge was to locate these works that date back to the 1940s, 50s and 60s. In fact, while shifting homes, some of his works that I possessed, were packed off in cartons. Tragically, they got destroyed and I was left with fewer of his treasured writings," recalls Delhi-based Kohli who is also a poet, translator, literary critic and film historian.

Kohli took over a year to piece together this selection of 17 stories. "I had to travel across the country ufffd Mumbai, Varanasi and Lucknow to source his writings, apart from interacting with people from the film and media fraternity. Sadly, most of those who knew him didn't have any material from those years," adds the documentary filmmaker who has made over a hundred films. "This is the tip of the iceberg. There are over 60 stories. Besides, there are quite a few that haven't been discovered yet."u00a0

Versa of India
"The book is a panoramic view of India. The first story in it ufffd The Sparrows, was the first that Abbas wrote, as a 26 year-old," shares Kohli. Ask him about his association with the legendary director, scriptwriter and film heavyweight and pat comes the reply, "Of course, it was a great pleasure. We went back a long way. He was kind enough to take me into his home when I had to travel to Mumbai for health reasons. Similarly, he always stayed at my home when he visited Delhi. Earlier, we worked together on his biography (I Am An Island)," adds Kohli.

Real-life story
There is a pause. Almost as if Kohli's thought flow has taken a crucial detour ufffd "Abbas helped everyone in the film industry: Chetan Anand, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, V Shantaram ufffdthe list goes on. The films he wrote and made were so diverse. Unfortunately, he is only remembered for Saat Hindustani and the Amitabh Bachchan connect. Few are aware that he wrote one of the longest running columns, first with the Bombay Chronicle and later with The Blitz." An Evening in Lucknow: Selected Stories by KA Abbas, edited by Suresh Kohli, HarperCollins India. Rs 299. Available at leading bookstores.