A DIRECTOR who got his lucky break as a combat cameraman during the Second World War has been honoured for his achievements.
Yavar Abbas, of Dean Road, Hounslow, has produced dozens of films over the last six decades, including the acclaimed India! My India!, a love letter to his home country.
The 89-year-old was recently given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the South Asian Cinema Foundation, and a retrospective featuring some of his best works is showing this weekend and next in east London.
Mr Abbas's passion for film was fired by his experiences during the Second World War, which he spent documenting the Allied forces' campaign in the Far East. Having joined the Army fresh out of university in 1942, the fierce nationalist was given a masterclass in cinematography by the likes of It's A Wonderful Life director Frank Capra - a chance he only got after rubbing his British officers up the wrong way.
"One day we were talking about what would be the happiest moment in our lives. One officer said it would be when he got married to his sweetheart and another said it would be seeing his boat again," he said. "A third officer said 'my happiest moment will be when I leave this f***ing country', at which point I piped up 'quite right, that would be my happiest moment too'.
"I was hauled before the commanding officer. He said my discipline left much to be required, to which I replied 'I'm sorry but I'm damned if I'm going to kow-tow to every Tom, Dick and Harry. Tom was the second in command, Dick was the commanding officer and Harry was the major.
"When I applied to become a combat cameraman those three, who hated my guts, were only too happy to give me a glowing reference."
After coming through the war unscathed, despite a sniper's bullet shattering his camera as he filmed from the trenches, Mr Abbas returned to find India in turmoil, with the independence movement at its height.
He left his home country for England in 1949, two years after it was partitioned - a political decision about which he remains deeply bitter and which has inspired much of his work. He spent several years working in radio for the BBC's Urdu language service, before graduating to television and producing a number of documentary-style films including the sports features Cricket in India and The Khans of Pakistan.
But his most famous work remains India! My India!, the deeply personal story of his pilgrimage back to his native land and family after 17 years of self-imposed exile in England.
Despite approaching his tenth decade, the grandfather-of-three is still hard at it - currently working on A Family Quarrel, a semi-autobiographical film about a combat cameraman who falls for a British nurse after being injured in the Spanish Civil War.
A Yavar Abbas Retrospective is being held at the Rich Mix cinema in Shoreditch, where a selection of his films will be screened at 2pm this Sunday (March 21) and next. Tickets, costing £5, are available on the door or in advance at www.richmix.org.uk
