Talat Hussain’s second daughter, Roohaina Hussain, has also been bitten by the acting bug.  She will be appearing as the lead in Hasina Moeen’s new serial Aik Naye Mor Par, directed by Mohsin Ali and produced by Nadeem Chaudhary, to be telecast on PTV Network sometime at the end of this year.

            Though this is her first serial, Roohaina is no newcomer to TV.  Her first play was Mani, directed by Kazim Pasha, when she was just three years old.  Another memorable play as a child star was Khawab Jazeera by Iqbal Ansari.  The child star grew up and did a few odd plays for Combine’s Mystery Theatre, Irsa being the most famous in which Roohaina played the psychic younger sister who kills her older sister in a jealous rage.  This was followed by a strong lead role in Sahira Kazmi’s Khawab Martey Nahin, in which she played a battered wife.  So it was not surprising that Roohaina landed the lead role in Hasina’s new venture. 

            What is the reason behind the long gap in between TV appearances?  "I was busy studying and I believe that you can only do one thing at one time if you want to do it well," says Roohaina.

            Roohaina has a Master’s degree in literature and is a position holder at that, so why did she not follow a profession involving literature?  "I would love to do that too but then this opportunity came along and I wanted to make the most of it.  I didn’t want to be bound to a nine to five job either," says Roohaina.  "My first love is literature and at the moment I am reading Paulo Coelho’s Veronica Decides to Die.  Amongst my favorites are Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, George Orwell’s 1984, and Eugene O’ Neil’s play, Long Day’s Journey into Night.

            The cast of Aik Naye Mor Par also includes Samina Ahmed, Talat Hussain, Jamshed Ansari, Qaisar Khan and Rizwana Khan as well as a host of new faces.  Shamil, who is cast opposite Roohaina, is from Islamabad. The play also introduces Sonia, Faisal, Faiq, Naheed and Ayesha.  How was it working with both newcomers and veterans?  Says Roohaina "The seniors, especially Hasina Apa, really helped me understand my character.  Mohsin Uncle was extremely patient and I learned a lot from the experience of these people.  Since it was the first time for most of us, we all sort of bonded together and had a great time, especially on the trip to Shogran and Nathiagali."