Joined the Aligarh Muslim University around 1930-31. On 25 March 1931, he read about the execution of Bhagat Singh and broke down. This inspired him to write a piece about this, and writing became a lifelong source of comfort and solace. His talent was recognised early on and during his freshman year, Abbas was hired as a correspondent both for the newly-formed Hindustan Times as well as for the Bombay Chronicle. Not only did he read the British and Russian masters of literature, but formed a special liking for American litterateur Upton Sinclair. Graduated from Aligarh Muslim University with a B.A. degree in English Literature.

Abbas, who had continued to at Bombay Chronicle, started a weekly column called The Last Page (in English; the Hindi/ Urdu title was Azad Kalam). He wrote a story in Hindi called Ababeel, which received a tremendous response when it came out.

The next year, in 1936, Abbas marks his entry into the world of cinema by joining Bombay Talkies as a publicist.

Became a regular film critic at Bombay Chronicle, and around the same time, also began to work for Filmindia magazine. Saw about 300 Indian and foreign films for the next three years. The very next year he wrote an impassioned critique of the film Gunga Din (1939) in Filmindia for its inappropriate and racist depiction of Indians. Along with Filmindia's famous editor Baburao Patel, Abbas launched a campaign against films that depicted Indians in such a demeaning fashion. These films, according to them, depicted Indians as 'nothing more than sadistic barbarians'

This year, Abbas travels to various parts of the globe. He goes to California to meet Upton Sinclair, after whom he had modelled himself and his work.

His first book, Outside India: The Adventures of a Roving Reporter, is serialised in Bombay Chronicle and the National Herald newspapers.

Sells his first screenplay, Naya Sansar, to Bombay Talkies. Ends up winning the BFJA (Bengal Film Journalists Association) Award for Best Screenplay

Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) was founded in May 1925 at the premises of the Marwali School. Abbas was one of the founding members. He was also a member of the Progressive Writers Association (PWA). His affiliation with Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) in its early days fuelled his Marxist leanings and his steadfast support of the working classes. He wrote two iconic plays for IPTA, Zubedia and Yeh Amrit Hai.

Writes 'A Report to Gandhiji: A Survey of Indian and World Events during the 21 Months of Gandhiji's Incarceration.'

Four years later, in 1944, his first collection of columns, I Write as I Feel, comes out.

By now, Abbas had roped in Balraj Sahni into the fold of IPTA. They worked on IPTA's first film production, Dharti Ke Lal, basing it on Krishan Chandar's Annadata and Bijon Bhattacharya's play Nabanna, both on the theme of Bengal famine which had killed millions of Indians. Made under the banner of IPTA, the film was noted for its use of non-professional actors alongside IPTA regulars like Balraj Sahni, Shombhu Mitra, Tripti Mitra and Zohra Sehgal.
He also wrote the other film fuelled by his IPTA compatriots, Chetan Anand's Neecha Nagar which went on be honoured at the Cannes Film Festival.
Additionally, Abbas also wrote the screenplay for V. Shantaram's seminal film Dr Kotnis ki Amar Kahani.

Abbas launches his production banner called Naya Films. Visits China as part of an Indian delegation.

This was the year in which Awara came out. When Abbas had originally conceived the story, he approached Mehboob Khan to direct it. But Mehboob wanted to cast Dilip Kumar in the lead, while Abbas wanted Raj Kapoor to do it. Raj's father Prithiviraj was a fellow compatriot at IPTA. Raj had just made Aag and was on the lookout for a script - he came to know of Abbas' script and his preference for the lead role. Raj got in touch with Abbas decided to make the film himself.

Wrote and produced the first film under his banner Naya Films: Anhonee

Abbas directed and produced Rahi, starring Dev Anand, Balraj Sahni and Nalini Jaywant. The film was about a tea plantation manager during the British era hired to badger Indian workers, eventually falling in love with a worker himself.

For a year or more, Abbas went around several countries of Western and Eastern Europe, notably Great Britain, Czechoslovakia, Poland and USSR.

His film Munna is released. It a story told from the point of view of a child who runs away from the orphanage. The film is a social commentary that seems to begin at the point that Dharti Ke Lal ends.

Shree 420, written by Abbas, was released. It explores his recurring themes of exploitation, class struggle, greed, and social decadence.

After Dharti Ke Lal, Abbas once again collaborates with Sombhu Mitra on Jaagte Raho. While Mitra was the actor in the former film and Abbas was in the director's seat, this time Sombhu was the director and Abbas the writer.

Abbas co-directs an Indo-Russian co-production named Pardesi aka Khozhdenie za tri morya about a 15th century Russian trader Afanasy Nikitin who had come to India. Oleg Strizhenov played the lead, and the film was bilingual: while the Hindi version was directed by Abbas, the Russian version was directed by Russian filmmaker Vasili Pronin. Both versions had Russian as well as Indian actors. Nargis played the lead opposite Strizhenov, supported by Balraj Sahni, Prithviraj Kapoor, Achala Sachdev, David, Manmohan Krishna and several others. The film was nominated for Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Based on a story penned by himself titled One Thousand Nights on a Bed of Stones, Abbas makes Shehar Aur Sapna depicting the struggles, hopes and dreams of pavement dwellers. It won the National Award for Best Feature Film.

Writes and directs Aasman Mahal. It is about a Nawab who fails to keep up with the times. There are parallels with Satyajit Ray's The Music Room/ Jalsaghar. The lead is played by Prithviraj Kapoor.

Bambai Raat Ki Baahon Mein, Abbas' crime thriller, is about a reporter who is suspected of a murder. The film depicts the decadence and the underbelly of modern urban life.

Abbas conceived the idea of his next film, Saat Hindustani, reinforcing the principles of unity and national integration by casting actors from various regions of the country to play characters from other regions. He cast Utpal Dutt, a Bengali, as a Punjabi Sardar, and Madhavan Nair, a Malayali, as a Bengali character. Amitabh Bachchan famously made his debut in this film, playing one of the seven 'Hindustanis' who set out to liberate Goa from Portuguese rule. The film won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.

His film Chaar Sheher Ek Kahani came in the eye of a storm. It focused on the contrasting lives of the rich and poor in the four major cities of India- Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. The Examining Committee of the Censor Board suggested the film to be restricted to adults due to a particular sequence depicting the red light district of Bombay. But Abbas wanted a U certificate which would allow him to show the film without any cuts. The U certificate was then offered on one condition: that Abbas remove the sequence in question. Abbas refused and went to the courts, arguing that the imposition of pre-censorship violated his freedom of expression. In K.A. Abbas v. Union of India, the Supreme Court of India upheld the constitutionality of pre-censorship, while conceding the need for clear and unambiguous guidelines in such matters.

This was also the year in which Mera Naam Joker came out, which Abbas had written. A Turkish remake of Awara called Avare was also released in the same year.

Made the film Do Boond Pani about water scarcity in Rajasthan and the cost of progress. The film starred Jalal Agha and Simi Garewal in the lead, and won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Film on National Intergration.

He wrote and appeared in an Indo-Soviet film called Black Elephant . The fim was based on Abbas' story for children. This was also the onlly time he appeared in a film.

This year, Abbas was associated with two important films which, like much of his work, highlighted societal issues and the human condition. He wrote Raj Kapoor's Bobby, which, while being a teenage love story, depicted the stark contrast between the lifestyles of the rich and the poor. Gulzar's Achanak was based on K.A. Abbas's short story The Thirteenth Victim, which explores a soldier's act of killing his wife and her lover, the futility of violence, and the complex nature of justice.

Next year, he co-authored Jawaharlal Nehru: Portrait of an Integrated Indian with R K Karanjia.

His film The Naxalites, a sort of spiritual successor to Dharti Ke Lal that even incorporates footage from the earlier film, depicts young people disillusioned by the state of post-independence India and the rampant exploitation around them. The film stars, among others, Smita Patil and Mithun Chakraborty.

A collection of his essays called Bread, Beauty and Revolution comes out, followed by a collection of short stories.

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas passed away at the age of 72. He had written more than 70 books, countless articles and several popular columns, short stories and novels, directed 17 films and written at least 25 screenplays. His swansong Ek Aadmi starring Anupam Kher in the lead released a year later. And 4 years after his passing, when Henna was released, he was credited for story alongside V.P. Sathe.