Farrukh Dhondy

Farrukh Dhondy (born Poona, India, in 1944) is an Indian-born British writer, playwright, screenwriter and left-wing activist of Parsi descent, who resides in the United Kingdom.

Education

Dhondy did his schooling at The Bishop's School, Poona, and obtained a BSc degree from University of Poona in India. He won a scholarship to Pembroke College, Cambridge where he read Natural Sciences before switching to English. After graduating he studied for a Master's degree at Leicester University and was later a lecturer at Leicester College of Further Education and a secondary school in London.

Early activism

In Leicester, Dhondy became involved with the Indian Workers' Association and later, in London, with the British Black Panther movement, joining the publication Race Today in 1970, along with his close friend Darcus Howe, and partner Mala Sen, and discovering his calling as a writer.[1] In his role as a race activist and academic, he came to be associated with black and leftwing intellectuals and activists such as Stuart Hall and Trevor Phillips. Uncharacteristically, it is also from this period that his close friendship with the conservative author Sir V. S. Naipaul dates.

Writing

Dhondy's literary output is vast, including books for children, textbooks and biographies, as well as plays for theatre and scripts film and television.[2] He is also a columnist,[3][4] a biographer (of C. L. R. James; 2001),[5] and media executive (Channel Four Commissioning Editor 1984–97). During his time with Channel Four, he wrote the comedy series Tandoori Nights (1985–87) for the channel, which concerned the rivalry of two curry house owners. His children's stories include KBW (Keep Britain White), a study of a young white boy's response to anti-Bengali racism. In 2011 Dhondy published his translation of selections from the Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi, Rumi: a New Translation. He also wrote the screenplay for the Bollywood historical blockbuster Mangal Pandey, starring Aamir Khan and Toby Stephens. In 2012, he scripted a short film called 'The K File'. This film dealt with a fictional take on the judgement of Ajmal Kasab and was directed by Oorvazi Irani. In 2013 his critically accalimed play Devdas was premiered in London. 2013 also saw the publication of his latest novel, Prophet Of Love (HarperCollins).

Honours and Awards

Books

Plays

See also

References

  1. ↑ Alison Donnell (2002). Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture. Taylor & Francis. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-415-16989-9. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  2. ↑ IMDB
  3. ↑ Deccan Chronicle, 27 November 2010.
  4. ↑ City Journal, Autumn 2001.
  5. ↑ Review at kenanmalik.com, 30 July 2001
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 biography.jrank.org

External links