About the Author

Born in Panipat (now in Haryana) on 7 June 1914, Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, popularly known as K.A. Abbas, was a prominent man of many talents. A film director, novelist, screenwriter and a journalist, he wrote in Urdu, Hindi and English. An IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association) member, known for his strong political beliefs, Abbas was famously on the side of the underdog. Awaara is his first collaboration with Raj Kapoor. A celebrated journalist, film critic and publisher, V.P. Sathe was also an active IPTA member. Hugely knowledgeable about Indian cinema, Sathe ran a successful film advertising agency and was responsible for R.K. Films' publicity for many years. He co-wrote with K.A. Abbas a number of film stories, including Awaara. Notes on translator: Author and documentary filmmaker, Nasreen Munni Kabir has written many books on Indian film, including Guru Dutt, a life in cinema (Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1996) and Lata Mangeshkar in her own voice (Niyogi Books, 2009). Her next publication is The Dialogue of Mother India, Mehboob Khan's Immortal Classic (Niyogi Books, 2010).