WHATEVER your profession, whatever your inclinations, rare is a soul who does not watch movies, listen to music and browse through a book every now and then, if not as a matter of routine. If you happen to be that rare soul, this one is not for you! For everyone else, Dawn Magazine has spoken to renowned personalities from different walks of life to discover their favourites in terms of these three disciplines. The first to share her choice, and, indeed, her personal feelings with readers is Hassena Moin, the playwright par excellence.
Hassena Moin, or Haseena apa as she is called by all and sundry, loves to watch romantic movies. The movie that she admits to having watched over and over again is the Roman Holiday. Says Haseena, “I have seen it ten times at least, and each time I have enjoyed it as much as I did the first time. In fact, I am fond of watching all Audrey Hepburn movies. I prefer to see romantic ones that are light and entertaining rather than those that leave one distressed.”
So, according to her, although films like Bridge on the River Kwai and For Whom the Bell Tolls are excellent flicks, they do not rank among her favourites as they are way too serious to hold a repeat-viewing value for her. The other movie that is on her list of all-time favourites is Gone With the Wind. Though she had read the book before she saw the film, Haseena was not disappointed by the manner in which the novel was filmed. “Generally, movies do not do justice to the novels they are based on, but this was a worthwhile exception,” she feels.
The surprising anomaly in Haseena’s character is that while she enjoys light movies, she prefers to listen to sad songs. Her favourites are Nayyara Noor’s Kabhi Hum Khoobsurat Thay, which she admits she is beginning to relate to more than ever! She also thoroughly enjoys Iqbal Bano’s Hum Dekhain Gey and Tina Sani’s Meray Humdum, Meray Dost.
In fact, says Haseena, she derives great pleasure from listening to all of Tina Sani’s renditions of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry, and ghazals sung by Nayyara Noor. Though she seldom listens to English music, she does pick up the odd English title when it comes to books.
A voracious reader since childhood, Haseena grew up on romantic novels written by the period writer, Georgette Heyer, and murder mystery books by Agatha Christie. She finds it very difficult to name a handful from the vast treasury she holds dear to her heart, but, she figures, the books that continue to be a source of joy for her through the ages, no matter how many times she may have read them, would classify as her favourites.
The book that would top the list, she feels, would be Diwan-e-Ghalib. The first time she read it was in college, as part of her course, but was not very impressed by it then, as many parts of it were beyond her comprehension. “However, over the years as I have been going back to the book, the verses have been unfolding new meanings for me, with my own changing experiences in life. I normally read a few random verses every night before going to bed, and invariably discover a fresh perspective with every reading.”
The other book, also initially read many years ago and which continues to fascinate Haseena and influence her thinking, is Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet. “A beautiful book, it is my companion when I am depressed and don’t feel like doing anything. Just reading a sentence from Gibran’s books is a source of great pleasure.”
Fond of reading all sorts of books, Haseena also ranks the three books — Conversation with God (Books I and II) and Friendship with God — among her favourites. Although the latter was banned in Pakistan earlier, it is now available in the market. She also enjoys books authored by John Grisham, Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry and Quratulain Hyder’s novels.
When asked to put her neck on the line and name one title in each category, here is what Haseena Moin went for:
• FAVOURITE MOVIE: Roman Holiday
• FAVOURITE SONG: Kabhi Hum Khoobsurat Thay, by Nayyara Noor
WHATEVER your profession, whatever your inclinations, rare is a soul who does not watch movies, listen to music and browse through a book every now and then, if not as a matter of routine. If you happen to be that rare soul, this one is not for you! For everyone else, Dawn Magazine has spoken to renowned personalities from different walks of life to discover their favourites in terms of these three disciplines. The first to share her choice, and, indeed, her personal feelings with readers is Hassena Moin, the playwright par excellence.
