Khwaja Ahmad Abbas – Most Underrated Director of Indian Cinema

The man was not Jack but a master of various traits. Prose writer of English and Hindi, journalist, screenplay writer and, of course, an underrated director, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas bestowed Indian cinema with various gems.
As a screenwriter, he created several masterpieces like Mera Naam Joker, Bobby, Awara, Neecha Nagar, and Shree 420, to name a few. It will not be incorrect to say that he was the strongest pillar in Raj Kapoor’s journey as a movie director.
Talking of directorial ventures, his movies hardly tasted commercial success. The unique quality of his cinema was close touch to reality and efficient depiction of the social and political situation of the contemporary era.
Sadly, the present generation is not aware of his directorial works.
Let’s look at some of the movies directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas to understand the quality of his work in a better manner.

Dharti Ke Lal

With this cinematic marvel, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas embarked his journey of film direction. The film depicts the sufferings of a farmer family during Bengal famine of 1943. This film marked the first major role of the veteran actor Balraj Sahni. The film is also credited as the one to launch renowned actress and dancer Zohra Sehgal.
It was appreciated by the critics due to its realistic depiction of changes in economic and social phases of Indian societies during the period of Second World War.

Saat Hindustani

You might have heard the title of this movie, as it marked the debut of Indian megastar Amitabh Bachchan. He played one of the seven Indians whose endeavors to free the Goa from Portuguese rule was beautifully depicted by this master director. In fact, it is the only Hindi film to portray the Indian freedom struggle against the Portuguese. This ethereal piece of realistic cinema won National Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Owing to its amazing characterization and unconventional representation, the film, definitely, deserves a viewing at least once by every cinema lover.

Do Boond Paani

This was the second flick directed by this gifted director that won National Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. The film represents the story of Ganga Singh (played by Jalal Agha) whose sacrifices helped in building a dam in a village facing scarcity of water. This social drama also garnered favorable reviews, but sadly bombed at the box office.

Anhonee

With this psychological drama, Abbas gave a classic that depicted the beautiful and talented actress Nargis in a dual role. This movie, in fact, is credited to be the first Indian flick with a protagonist in a double role.

Shehar Aur Sapna

The movie was based on his touching short story, ‘One Thousand Nights on a Bed of Stones,’ and depicts the life of street dwellers in Mumbai. This movie, which had a backdrop of industrialization, won National Award for Best Feature Film.

Ek Aadmi

It was his last endeavor in film direction, which was released in 1988. This human drama was first rejected by Doordarshan and, ultimately, NDFC took the project and produced it. The movie depicts an ailing man, who recalls his past, and the temptations of which he was a victim. Most of the movie is presented in the form of flashbacks.
His other important projects include Naxalites, Faslah, and Nanga Fakir (TV film).
In an interview with the author Suresh Kohli, he mentioned that he stopped making films with big stars in 1958 on the request of her dying wife. It was actually due to cases filed against by two popular actors who had doubt that he might not return their dues.

In 1987, he left this world leaving behind a rich legacy for aspiring writers and filmmakers. It is disheartening to witness that he hardly recalled for contribution to cinema in the form of directorial ventures, though, he is regarded as one of the greatest screenwriters. You can read the short stories of Khwaja Ahmad Abbas to know his worth.

Contemporary directors with original works in Hindi cinema (Part 2)

The first part of this article had great names in original filmmaking like Imitiaz Ali and Zoya Akhtar etc.

This is second list of directors with talented names that have raised the bar of quality cinema in India with original and creative projects.

Anand Gandhi - He changed the meaning of indie cinema by crafting his first feature film ' Ship of Theseus.' The movie with a philosophical theme of same name gave inspiration to experimental filmmakers. His first movie which was a short 'Right here right now' itself was a unique in terms of filmmaking as it seems to be made in single shot. The film also message of how compassion and aggression are contagious.

Amol Gupte - This director dedicates his movies to social issues revolving around Indian children. His directorial debut 'Stanley ka Dabba' focused on child labor. Both of his movies featured his son 'Partho Gupte' in the lead.

Raj Dk - Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. ( or Raj D.K.) are alumni of IIT and were the first to release full length feature film which was a zombie comedy titled ‘Go Goa Gone.’ Their debut release was an interesting crime comedy '99' which reflected the topics like match fixing and launch of mobile phone with the backdrop of year 1999. Their crime comedy drama 'Shor in the city' was a hyperlink film which was also inspired from local incidents appear in newspapers.

R Balki - An admaker turned director, Balki has experimented in his films. His first was based on relationship of an aged man with middle aged lady. It was not an inspiration of 'Lolita' or 'Nishabd' but a different take on this subject. His next flick was 'Paa' where a rare disease 'Progeria' was presented in light hearted manner with father-son relationship.
His third directorial venture 'Shamitabh' also was a concept representing a mute actor using another man's voice to become star in film industry. All his movies have some interesting storyline with peppy dialogues. Amitabh Bachhan remains central character in all of his movies.

Shoojit Sircar - Another quality filmmaker with original screenplays, Sircar has tried multiple genres. His first feature 'Yahaan' was a romantic war drama which was not much of a success. His next romantic comedy 'Vicky donor' was a big hit due to interesting representation of the subject of sperm donation.
Whether it is an espionage drama ‘Madras Café’ (based on Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination) or light hearted movie ‘Piku,’ the director has managed to craft his work with total originality.

In case you find your favorite director missing from this list, this might be due to the fact he / she has directed movies from screenplay inspired from other films or book.