The man who launched Amitabh Bachchan

7 November 1969. A quasi-historical film – Saat Hindustani - which showcased the efforts of seven Indians to liberate Goa from the colonial Portuguese rule was released all over India. A young man, just turned 27, with a literary background and corporate pedigree made his debut playing a Muslim poet, Anwar Ali from Bihar. His name: Amitabh Bachchan.

The film was written, produced and directed by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, a radical personality whose family was involved in India's freedom struggle from the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny days. Rather sadly, the film didn't work and Bachchan had to wait for four more years before he made a splash with ' Zanjeer' in 1973.

As Indian film historians remember K A Abbas on his 106th birth anniversary today, there is a lot to write about this celebrity who was among the pioneers of Indian parallel cinema movement, writer of some of the best films for Raj Kapoor and a record holder for being the longest tenure as a column writer.

His tenure in the media as a writer and also in the film industry for a good 50 years from 1941-1991 saw him being involved with around 45 films in various capacities.