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[[file:Farrukh Dhondy.jpg|thumb|Farrukh Dhondy]]<br />
'''Farrukh Dhondy''' (born [[Poona]], [[India]], in 1944) is an [[British Indians|Indian-born British]] writer, playwright, screenwriter and left-wing activist of [[Parsi people|Parsi]] descent, who resides in the [[United Kingdom]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}<br />
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==Education==<br />
Dhondy attended [[The Bishop's School (Pune)|The Bishop's School]], Poona, and obtained a BSc degree from the [[University of Poona]]. He won a scholarship to [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]] where he read Natural Sciences before switching to English, earning a BA degree in 1967.<ref name=jrank>{{cite web|url=http://biography.jrank.org/pages/686/Dhondy-Farrukh-1944.html|title=Farrukh Dhondy (1944-) Biography - Personal, Addresses, Career, Honors Awards, Writings, Sidelights|website=jrank.org}}</ref> After graduating he studied for a master's degree at [[University of Leicester|Leicester University]] and was later a lecturer at [[Leicester College|Leicester College of Further Education]] and Archbishop Temple School in [[Lambeth]] in London.<ref>Pat Triggs, [http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/issue/4/childrens-books/articles/authorgraph/authorgraph-no4-farrukh-dhondy "Authorgraph No.4 - Farrukh Dhondy"], ''[[Books for Keeps]]'', September 1980.</ref><br />
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==Early activism==<br />
In Leicester, Dhondy became involved with the [[Indian Workers' Association]] and later, in London, with the [[British Black Panthers]], joining the publication ''[[Race Today]]'' in 1970, along with his close friend [[Darcus Howe]], and former partner [[Mala Sen]],<ref>Ash Kotak,[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/13/mala-sen-obituary "Mala Sen obituary"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 13 June 2011.</ref> and discovering his calling as a writer.<ref name="Donnell2002">{{cite book|author=Alison Donnell|author-link=Alison Donnell|title=Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mx53zZLVM_8C|accessdate=11 August 2011|year=2002|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-16989-9|page=97}}</ref> In his role as an activist and academic, he came to be associated with black and left-wing intellectuals and activists such as [[Stuart Hall (cultural theorist)|Stuart Hall]] and [[Trevor Phillips]]. Uncharacteristically, it is also from this period that his close friendship with the conservative author and Nobel Laureate Sir [[V. S. Naipaul]] dates.<br />
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== Writing ==<br />
Dhondy's literary output is extensive, including books for children, textbooks and biographies, as well as plays for theatre and scripts for film and television.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0223585/|title=Farrukh Dhondy|publisher=IMDb}}</ref> He is also a columnist,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202101151/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/dc-comment/bards-britain-854|title=The Bards of Britain|last=Dhondy|first=Farrukh|date=November 27, 2010|website=The Deccan Chronicle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202101151/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/dc-comment/bards-britain-854|archive-date=2 December 2010|url-status=live|access-date=2019-04-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city-journal.org/html/11_4_our_islamic.html|title=Our Islamic Fifth Column|work=City Journal|date=23 December 2015|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.asianage.com/opinion/oped/160618/persians-the-islamic-state-of-iran.html|title=Persians & the Islamic state of Iran|last=Dhondy|first=Farrukh|date=2018-06-16|website=The Asian Age|access-date=2019-04-21}}</ref> a biographer (of [[C. L. R. James]]; 2001),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kenanmalik.com/reviews/dhondy_clr_james.html|title=Kenan Malik's review of ''CLR James'' by Farrukh Dhondy|work=New Statesman|date= 30 July 2001}}</ref> and media executive, having been Commissioning Editor at [[Channel Four]] from 1984 to 1997. 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.<br />
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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 play ''Devdas'' was premiered in London and was subsequently replayed globally. 2013 also saw the publication of the novel ''Prophet Of Love'' (HarperCollins). His collection of Rumi translations was published in 2014 and received a 4.5-star rating on [[Goodreads]].<ref>[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13400543-rumi "Rumi: A New Translation"] at Goodreads.</ref><br />
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Dhondy was lauded in the respected political magazine ''[[New Internationalist]]'', in its prestigious "final page", which led to the resurgence of his lifelong campaign to recruit more [[Black and Minority Ethnic|BAME]] talent at the [[BBC]], with an article subsequently printed in the ''[[New Statesman]]''<ref>Farrukh Dhondy, [http://www.newstatesman.com/2014/03/bbc-still-hideously-white "Is the BBC still 'hideously white'?"], ''New Statesman'', 18 March 2014.</ref> (covered in ''[[The Voice (British newspaper)|The Voice]]'' newspaper),<ref>Subi Shah, [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/‘multiculturalism-tv-has-been-hijacked’ "'Multiculturalism On TV Has Been Hijacked'"], ''The Voice'', 22 March 2014.</ref> which was later taken over by actor and comedian [[Lenny Henry]].<br />
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In 2015 Dhondy interviewed his close friend [[V. S. Naipaul]] in India and in London as part of the [[Jaipur Literature Festival]] and his publishers produced a collection of his greatest works in an anthology.<br />
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== Personal life ==<br />
Dhondy lives in South East London.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}<br />
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==Honours and awards==<br />
* Children's Rights Workshop Other award: 1977, for ''East End at Your Feet'', and 1979, for ''Come to Mecca, and Other Stories'';<ref name=jrank /> <br />
* Collins/Fontana Award for ''Come to Mecca, and Other Stories'';<ref name=jrank /> <br />
* Received the [[Samuel Beckett Award]] for the television play ''Romance, Romance''. <br />
* Works represented in ''Children's Fiction in Britain, 1900-1990'' exhibition, [[British Council]]'s Literature Department, 1990;<ref name=jrank /> <br />
* [[Whitbread Award]] for first novel, 1990, for ''Bombay Duck''.<ref name=jrank /><br />
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==Books==<br />
* ''East End at Your Feet'' (short stories), [[Macmillan Publishers]] (London, England), 1976.<br />
* ''Come to Mecca, and Other Stories'', Collins (London, England), 1978.<br />
* ''The Siege of Babylon'' (novel), Macmillan (London, England), 1978.<br />
* ''Poona Company'' (short stories), [[Victor Gollancz Ltd|Gollancz]] (London, England), 1980.<br />
* ''Trip Trap'' (short stories), [[Faber and Faber]] (London, England), 1985.<br />
* ''Vigilantes'' (Hobo Press), 1988<br />
* ''Bombay Duck'' (adult novel), [[Jonathan Cape]] (London, England), 1990.<br />
* ''Black Swan'', Gollancz (London, England), 1992, [[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] (Boston, MA), 1993.<br />
* ''Janacky and the Giant, and Other Stories'', [[HarperCollins]] (London, England), 1993.<br />
* ''C. L. R. James: Cricket, The Caribbean and World Revolution'', 205pp, [[Weidenfeld & Nicolson]], 2001.<br />
* ''The Bikini Murders'', based on the life of Charles Shobhraj (also known as [[The Bikini Killer]]), 2008. Currently in production as a feature film.<br />
* ''Rumi: A New Translation'', (trans. & ed.) [[Harper Perennial]], 2011<br />
* ''Prophet Of Love'', HarperCollins 2013<br />
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==Plays==<br />
* ''Mama Dragon'', produced in London, England, 1980.<br />
* ''Trojans'' (adaptation of a play by [[Euripides]]), produced in London, England, 1982.<br />
* ''Kipling Sahib'', produced in London, England, 1982.<br />
* ''Vigilantes'' (produced in 1985), Hobo Press, 1988.<br />
* ''King of the Ghetto'' (television series), British Broadcasting Company (BBC1), 1986.<br />
* ''Split Wide Open'' (screenplay; based on the story by Dev Benegal), Adlabs/BMG Crescendo, 1999.<br />
* ''Devdas'', premiered in London, 2013.<br />
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==See also==<br />
* ''[[Bandit Queen]]'', 1994 film based on late wife Mala Sen's book ''India's Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi'' (1993)<br />
* [[Red Mercury (2005)|''Red Mercury'' (2005)]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist|30em}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
*{{IMDb name | id = 0223585}}<br />
*[http://www.answers.com/topic/farrukh-dhondy-children-s-author Biography] of Dhondy on [[Answers.com]], from ''Gale Biographies of Children's Authors''<br />
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{{Wikiquote}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhondy, Farrukh}}<br />
[[Category:1944 births]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:Savitribai Phule Pune University alumni]]<br />
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Leicester]]<br />
[[Category:Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge]]<br />
[[Category:British male journalists]]<br />
[[Category:British writers]]<br />
[[Category:British people of Parsi descent]]<br />
[[Category:English people of Parsi descent]]<br />
[[Category:British writers of Indian descent]]<br />
[[Category:Indian emigrants to England]]<br />
[[Category:Writers from Pune]]<br />
[[Category:British Zoroastrians]]</div>imported>HelloHanSolo