Feroz Abbas Khan is an Indian theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, who is most known for directing successful plays like Saalgirah, Tumhari Amrita, Salesman Ramlal and Gandhi Viruddh Gandhi ^[1].

He tried to get recognition by making a controversial movie Gandhi, My Father on Mahatma Gandhi trying to portray Gandhi in disgraceful manner.

[edit] Career

He was the first artistic director of the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai, and in 1983 was head of the Prithvi Theatre Festival along with Jennifer Kapoor and Akash Khurana. He started with productions like, the early comedy All the Best and Saalgirah (1993), written by playwright Javed Siddiqui with Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher, which incidentally became her first acting performance during her comeback after a sabbatical ^[2]. In 1992, American playwright and novelist, A. R. Gurney’s play Love Letters, was adapted to Urdu and Indian context by Javed Siddiqui, and first performed by veteran actors, Shabana Azmi and Farooq Sheikh at the Jennifer Kapoor Festival in Prithvi theatre in February 1992, under his direction, where for one-and-a-half hours, they read the letters describing the relationship between two characters Amrita and Zulfikar, over a period of 35 years. The play went on tour to many parts of the world, including US, Europe and Pakistan ^[3].

His production of Peter Shaffer’s satirical comedy, ‘The Royal Hunt of the Sun’ and the contemporary Indian adaptation of Arthur Miller’s classic ‘Death of a Salesman’, 'Salesman Ramlal' (1997), starring actor-director Satish Kaushik are important plays of Indian theatre.^[4][5]. Next came English theatre production of Mahatma v/s Gandhi, based on relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his son, Harilal Gandhi.

In 2007, he made his film debut with Gandhi, My Father, based on his won previous play, 'Mahatma vs Gandhi', and opened to worldwide critical acclaimed ^[6]. At the National Film Award, actor Darshan Zariwala won the Best Supporting Actor Award, for his role of Gandhi, while the film itself, won the Special Jury Award and Best Screenplay.^[7][8][9], and the Best Screenplay Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and nominated for Grand Prix at Tokyo Film Festival.

Also in 2007, he added Abbas as his middle name to avoid confusion with Bollywood actor-director, Feroze Khan ^[10].

While, his play, 'Salesman Ramlal' was revived in 2009, with a more contemporary version, another classic, Tumhari Amrita is still being performed in 2009, after 17 years ^[11][12].

[edit] Plays

• All the Best
• Eva Mumbai Ma Chaal Jaiye
• Saalgirah - Anupam Kher & Kirron Kher
• The Royal Hunt of the Sun
• Tumhari Amrita (1992) - Shabana Azmi & Farooq Sheikh
• Mahatma vs Gandhi (1998)
• Salesman Ramlal (1999) - Satish Kaushik
• Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai - Anupam Kher

[edit] Awards

• National Film Award
  • 2008: Best Screenplay: Gandhi, My Father
• Asia Pacific Screen Awards
  • 2007: Best Screenplay: :Gandhi, My Father

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Feroz Khan, Official Webpage
• Feroz Abbas Khan at the Internet Movie Database