Interview number: 123

Interviewer: Shanker, Uma Interview date: 1970-02-01

Length 92minutes

Condition notes: Part 1 was recorded too slowly. This digitised copy has been made by slowing down the cassette speed (by about 16-17%). Part 5: At [04:00] there was a technical problem and some recording was lost, but the commentary continues

K.A. Abbas, author, journalist and film-maker, describes (parts 1&2) childhood memories of the National Movement, his associations with the Civil Disobedience and Quit India movements, and (parts 3-5) gives his observations on films which evoked patriotic sentiments before Independence, on film standards afterwards, and on the impact Western films had on Indian feature and documentary film-making. The interview was recorded in five sections.

[Part 1 was recorded too slowly this digitised copy has been made by slowing down the cassette speed (by about 16-17%) to approximate to the pitch of Abbas’s voice in Part 2. There is also some slight distortion at the start and end.]

Coverage notes: National Movement, Civil Disobedience, Quit India; Bombay Chronicle; Satyagraha; swaraj; secret press, radio; film making before and after Independence; patriotism, disillusion; allegories; 1920-1970