Feroz Abbas Khan
Feroz Abbas Khan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1959 |
| Occupation(s) | playwright, theatre director, film director, screenwriter |
| Website | www |
Feroz Abbas Khanis an Indian theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, who is most known for directing plays likeMughal-e-Azam,Saalgirah,Tumhari Amrita(1992),Salesman RamlalandGandhi Viruddh Gandhi.[1][2]
Career
[edit]He was the first artistic director of thePrithvi TheatreinMumbaiand in 1983 was head of the Prithvi Theatre Festival withJennifer KapoorandAkash Khurana.He started with productions like the early comedyAll the BestandSaalgirah(1993), written by playwrightJaved SiddiquiwithAnupam KherandKirron Kher,which incidentally became her first acting performance during her comeback after a sabbatical.[3]In 1992, American playwright and novelist,A. R. Gurney's playLove Letterswas adapted toUrduasTumhari Amritaand given an Indian context by Javed Siddiqi. It was performed by veteran actorsShabana AzmiandFarooq Sheikhat the Jennifer Kapoor Festival in Prithvi theatre in February 1992 for the first time. For one-and-a-half hours, the actors read the letters describing the relationship between two friends Amrita and Zulfikar over a period of 35 years. For the next 21 years tillFarooque Shaikh's death in December 2013, this immensely successful play went on to tour many parts of the world including US, Europe and Pakistan.[4]
Khan's production ofPeter Shaffer's satirical comedy,The Royal Hunt of the Sunand the contemporary Indian adaptation ofArthur Miller's classicDeath of a Salesman,'Salesman Ramlal' (1997), starring actor-directorSatish Kaushikare important plays ofIndian theatre.[5][6]Next came English theatre production ofMahatma v/s Gandhi,based on relationship betweenMahatma Gandhiand his son,Harilal Gandhi.
In 2007, he made his film debut withGandhi, My Father,based on his one previous play,Mahatma vs Gandhi,and opened to critical acclaim.[7]At theNational Film Award,actorDarshan Zariwalawon theBest Supporting Actor Award,for his role of Gandhi, while the film itself won theSpecial Jury AwardandBest Screenplay[8][9][10]and the Best Screenplay Award at theAsia Pacific Screen Awardsand nominated for Grand Prix at Tokyo Film Festival.
Also in 2007, he added Abbas as his middle name to avoid confusion withBollywoodactor-director,Feroze Khan.[11]
While, his play,Salesman Ramlalwas revived in 2009, with a more contemporary version, another classic,Tumhari Amritawas performed for no less than 21 years till December 2013 when main actorFarooque Shaikhdied. The last show was held in the Taj Mahal, Agra. [12][13]
In 2016, he directedMughal-e-Azam,aBroadway-stylemusicalbased on the 1960BollywoodfilmMughal-e-Azam,which was directed byK. Asifand produced by Shapoorji Pallonji. The musical was produced jointly byShapoorji Pallonji Groupand theNational Centre for the Performing Arts (India).[14]
In March 2023, Khan will open hisCivilization to Nation: The Journey of Our Nationin the new 2,000-seat Grand Theatre at Mumbai's Jio World Centre.[15]
Plays
[edit]- Raunaq & Jassi
- 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
- Dinner With Friends(2011) (Tisca Chopra,Vinay Jain,Joy Sengupta&Perizaad ZorabianIrani)
Mughal-E-Azam - The Musical The Great Indian Musical - Civilisation To Nation
Filmography
[edit]- Gandhi, My Father(2007)
- Dekh Tamasha Dekh(2014)
References
[edit]- ^'Gandhiji hasn't been portrayed negatively'Rediff.comMovies, 3 August 2007.
- ^"Feroz Khan".Times of India.11 December 2002.
- ^Once more, with feelingArchived10 December 2008 at theWayback Machine
- ^Writing its own destinyArchived11 September 2012 atarchive.todayScreen,Namita Nivas, 28 November 2008.
- ^Salesman Ramlal in MumbaiThe Times of India,6 September 2009.
- ^Satish Kaushik wants to extend his "global profile"Archived14 August 2014 at theWayback MachineFinancial Express,17 September 2009.
- ^A Humanizing Portrait of the Man Indians Call 'Father'Washington Post,15 August 2007.
- ^National Film Awards: Southern films bag top honoursThe Times of India,8 September 2009.
- ^Interview: Feroze Abbas Khan[permanent dead link]Screen,3 August 2007.
- ^"55th NATIONAL FILM AWARDS FOR THE YEAR 2007"(PDF).Press Information Bureau (Govt. of India).
- ^The namesakeMid-Day,10 July 2007. "Theatre personality Feroz Khan, who makes his directorial debut with Gandhi My Father, has added Abbas to his name to avoid confusion"
- ^Their letters won our heartsThe Times of India,TNN 21 January 2009.
- ^In The Name of the FatherArchived30 September 2012 at theWayback MachineIndian Express,Ddebeshbanerjee, 12 September 2009.
- ^"'Mughal-e-Azam': An Audacious Screen-to-Stage Adaptation Of The K. Asif Classic ".HuffPost India.12 September 2017.Retrieved22 May2018.
- ^"India's First Multi-Disciplinary Cultural Centre in Mumbai to Open March of 2023".12 October 2022.