Haseena Moin: Pakistani pioneer who shaped young minds in Amritsar: The Tribune India

Neha saini

When the classic Pakistani cult drama “Dhoop Kinare” first aired on PTV in 1987, Seema Grewal was a Class XII student in Amritsar. Like many budding doctors at the time, she was addicted to the series, its influence so strong in her life that to this day, this doctor-writer remains in touch with the popular series’ fan page. Such was the appeal of the series whose creator recently breathed her last breath. Haseena Moin is recognized for giving iconic, pioneering and popular models to women on both sides of the border in the late 1970s and early 1980s through her writings.

Moin, 80, was one of Pakistan’s most recognized and acclaimed playwrights. She received the Pride of Performance Award for her contribution to the arts and wrote the country’s first original screenplay for television, “ Kiran Kahani, ” which aired in Pakistan in the 1970s. Her work, considered progressive and innovative to the time, was recognized worldwide with “Dhoop Kinare” broadcast in Saudi Arabia in 2020; it was also adapted in India under the title “Kuch Toh Log Kahenge” and starred Mohnish Behl and Kritika Kamra.

The late 1970s was the height of his work as a screenwriter as his TV shows, which also included “Tanhaiyan”, “Ankahi”, “Aahat” and “Uncle Urfi”, were broadcast on PTV. At the time, the broadcaster was experimenting with versatile shows, and Moin’s protagonists – ambitious and progressive women – were unknown.

As Dr Grewal recalls: “Rahat Kazmi, who played the role of Dr Ahmer Ansari, and Marina Khan, who played the lively Dr Zoya Ali Khan, remain my favorite characters. The show was so popular that during Punjabi lessons, nine out of 10 students used to refer to the characters on the show as examples when writing sentences. Even our teachers would find it funny, ”she says. His characters were relatable and intense, but vulnerable; they had that instant connection. “’Dhoop Kinare’ was the first time I got to know Moin’s work and it was just the start. His writing was so nuanced that it left an impact without anyone feeling disturbed, ”says Grewal. Now a writer herself, she credits Moin for her first introduction to writing.

Moin fans weren’t just including women, men were also fascinated. One of them is Arvinder Chamak, an Amritsar-based writer and artist who grew up on Moin’s work. “My memories of watching his shows, including ‘Tanhaiyan’, are still fresh. We were of an impressionable age and seeing Pakistani women sporting short hair or displaying a rebellious streak was life changing. We had heard that Pakistan was a regressive society, but watching such amazing and strong female characters was revolutionary. The shows created a huge buzz among audiences and brotherhood on both sides of the border, ”he shares.

Chamak had the opportunity to meet Moin during his visit to Lahore in 2006. “At the time, I was working with Rafi Peer Theater and Madeeha Gauhar and I went to Lahore for a literary event. It was wonderful talking to him and discussing at length the progressive writers of the time and the cultural resonance of the two cities of Amritsar and Lahore, ”he recalls. For Chamak, what stands out is that despite the unfavorable circumstances in the time of Zia-ul-Haq, she continued with her fiery writing. “His literary heritage is a gift for future generations.”

Although Moin did not visit Amritsar much in her later life, she played an active role in the city’s literary journey in the early 1970s. Surinder Malhi, 72-year-old writer and critic, remembers fondly the way she primarily attended theater and literature festivals in Amritsar. “I had met her at such a literary event in 1979 and asked her if she found her existence in her writing. His answer was simple, but matched his resilience as a writer. She said that every writer exists through their work and that every writer or artist carries a series of rebellion. She said the most important thing for her was whether her readers found their existence through her work, ”says Malhi.

Giving insight into her writing process, Malhi says that sometimes she wrote while working in the kitchen. “She was used to multitasking and thus created a small writing space in the kitchen. She would say she was lucky to have found the support of her family, a big problem at the time, ”he recalls.

It is not only literary minds that have been influenced by it. In his works, everyday people have also found freedom. Like Baldev Singh, a retired government teacher, from Patti. Watching Moin’s dramas on PTV was kind of a ritual for people in the border belt at the time, he says. “In 1976-1977, most of the border areas did not receive Doordarshan and people watched PTV. Most of the shows were in black and white. The first colorful Pakistani drama to be broadcast was “Parchaiyan” and it was written by Haseena Moin. After that, many of his shows became instant hits. For fans, his characters were real people. It changed the way people perceive Pakistani society as a result of the partition.