We lost one of the finest dramatists, playwrights, and a great human being Hassena Moin who had written several plays for all three mediums-TV, Stage, and Radio taking Pakistan’s entertainment industry to new heights. The eminent writer was born in Uttar Pradesh India on 20 November 1941 after independence her family migrated to Pakistan and settled in Karachi. Haseena had craved writing since childhood that made her one of the prominent literary figures of the country.
At a very young age, she started writing for a Children’s monthly “Bhaijan” and later wrote skits for one of the famous radio programs of that era “Number Nau”. Haseena who had a Master’s in History from Karachi University was also fond of exploring social issues and depicting those through her writings. The first play she wrote for the National television was “Eid Mubarak ‘’ starring Neelofer Aleem and Shakeel that became a huge success followed by Shezori in which Neelofer played the title role.
The story of Shezori seemed very much inspired by the novel of Azeem Chugtai. In the early days PTV administration was very strict with its writers, despite that Haseena had a distinct stature and she was always backed by the editors to write plays based on real stories. In an interview, she said, “it is always hard to write by conceiving a story but it becomes easier when I explore my surroundings”. She was so deeply connected to her plays that she used to advise directors for opting for the caste suited to the story. For instance, when she was doing Parchhaiyan, which was based on Henry James’ immortal novel The Portrait of a Lady, she insisted that Sahira and Rahat Kazmi be harnessed to play the leading roles. Aslam Azhar, the big boss at the PTV head office, and Agha Nasir in charge of programs gave their approvals.
The serial, directed by Mohsin Ali and Shoaib Mansoor attracted a huge viewership. Her plays Zer Zabar Pesh, Bandish, Ankahi, Uncle Urfi, and Dund earned her peerless fame across the country, however, Tanhaiyan and Doop Kinare are considered among the most successful TV plays of Pakistan’s history. Veteran Bollywood Actor Raj Kapoor impulsed her to write dialogues for his Movie Heena that turned into a blockbuster but following the Babri Mosque incident she refused to take credit for that movie and her name was not displayed. Earlier she had written scripts for the Pakistani Movies Yahan Se Wahan Tak-1978 and Nazdikiyan directed by Syed Kamal.
Kamran Khamiso Khowaja
Sujawal
