First written in 1990, Bombay Duck is a novel of astonishing wit and insight that examines the great cultural divide between the East and the West.
Part One: Scenes in London, Edinburgh and Delhi. Gerald Bloom, unacclaimed actor of Caribbean origin, assumes the name of Ali Abdul Rahman and finds fame and fortune. His greatest moment arrives when David Stream, international impresario and guru of cross-cultural hype, casts him as Lord Ram in his dream project – a stage adaptation of the Hindu epic, Ramayana. Success attends them until fate and religious fundamentalism intervene.
Part Two: Scenes in London and Bombay. Mr. Xerxes Xavaxa, supply teacher and sometime Parsee historian, accidentally stumbles upon his fortune. It is given to him also to fulfill the dreams of others, for he too is a master of cross-cultural transference. From a bedsit in Earls Court he plans his future.
Through the characters of Ali and Xerxes, Bombay Duck explodes many old myths and conjures up new ones. It reveals an unexpected world, a seething subculture of actors, shopkeepers, politicians, farmers and gunrunners.
Bombay Duck shows incredible prescience since it was first written.
Farrukh Dhondy is a writer, columnist and former Commissioning Editor of Channel 4 TV. As a commissioning editor he has been acknowledged as the originator of a trend of international cinema from India, having commissioned Salaam Bombay, Mississippi Masala, Bandit Queen and for initiating and sponsoring the careers of Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapoor, Mira Syal and others. He has written fifteen books published in the UK, the USA and India, written widely for British TV, in the comedy and drama genres. His most recent film, The Rising, starring Aamir Khan, was released in its Bollywood version last year and is soon to be released in its ‘international’ English version. It will be the first film to be given two distinct treatments for very different audiences. His other recent films included Red Mercury which has been released in several festivals to great critical acclaim and will be shortly released theatrically. He is working with Ketan Mehta on the next film from the Indian Mutiny Trilogy and has five other screenplays in pre-production and under production.
