Pages

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Mustansar Hussain Tarar


Complete Name :                        Mustansar Hussain Tarar
A.K.A. :                                         Chacha Jee
Currently Lives In :                    Lahore, Pakistan
Fields :                                           Writing, Acting, Comparing
Well Known Because Of :    His Travelogues and Compare of PTV's   Morning Transmission
First Book :                                    Nikley Teri Talaash Main
Latest Book :                                 Barfili Waadiyan
Adbi Appearences :              He Writes a Column in Weekly Akbar-e-Jehan by the name of Karwan Sirai

Mustansar Hussain Tarar talent is not confined to one particular genre. Those who have gained consciousness in the 90s or even late 80s may think of him as an enlightened anchor person. who appears on the small screen every time there significant national event happening. No, not at all. In the 70s we saw him act in many of television play, some of then written by him.  With drama series like Aik Haqeeqat Sau Afsaney and a memorable serial like Hazaron Raastey, his credentials were established as a playwright. And a good one too. But those who are into literature and have a penchant for reading books must be aware that Mustansar Hussain Tarar is an excellent travel writer as well.  He has so far written not less than a dozen travel accounts of various countries as well as a variety of picturesque and interesting locales of Pakistan.  Hunza Dastan, an account of his travel to the heavenly valley with his son also delighted the readers with his tongue-in-cheek remarks about anyone and everyone he came across the journey. Not that this was his only forte, also trying his hands at novels, his Des Huay Pardes was an insightful peek at the problems faced by the rustic Punjabi community. that had settled in England earlier and the dilemmas their off springs faced; confused of their original identity.  At present his literary activities are limited to a weekly column Karavan Saraye for the popular Urdu weekly, Akhbar-e-Jahan. However, what he has been able to achieve for PTV is sufficient for us to make him the Flashback personality of this week.  Tarar sahib has given a lot to our local idiot box. Be it comparing or drama writing (even his acting) he has had his personal indelible stamp on it. One look at his plays like Parinda or Hazaron Raastey would make us realize that well-defined characterization in his forte. Take for example Hazaron Raastey. Not many drama serials in the history of Pakistan television can claim to have touched upon the infirmities and paranoia of newly rich class, as well as the pride and self-assuredness. of the middle-class that never compromises on principles and long-held traditional beliefs. What Firdous Jamal, Abid Ali, Munawwar Saeed and Rubina Ashraf were able to accomplish in the serial was something that they couldn't manage to achieve again.  Prior to that, perhaps what brought Mustansar Hussain Tarar to public limelight was the character of Amjad that he played in Aik Haqeeqat Sau Afsaney. He played. A forthright journalist working under the fidgety Nisar Qadri (at his edgy best). Who can forget Nisar Qadri famous takya kalam, bhaee Amjad, maachis ho gi tumharey paas? Although one sees Mustansar sahib hosting shows, few and far between, and doing a good job at that, but his drama writing seems to have taken the back seat. 
And bearing in mind the kind of stuff that being churned out these days, perhaps there wasn't a time when his plays were needed on the idiot box than now. One can only hopes that he, in this era of mediocrity, comes up with something as poignant as Hazaron Raastey.


Books:
He is the author of more than 17 travelogs and many novels. His novel Raakh was nominated as one of the best in the history of sub-continent South-Asia. His books include:

1.  Andulus Mayn Ajnabi (اندلس میں اجنبی) (Stranger in Spain) :  Part-1    Part-2

2.  Bahhao (بھا و) (Flow) 



3.  Bay Izti Kharab (بے عزتی خراب) (Insulting dishonor) 

This phrase is deliberately wrong and commonly used this way in local communities, thus the book name. 


4.  Berfeeli Bulandiyan (برفیلی بلندیاں) (Snowy Heights) : 


5.  Carvan Sarai (کارواں سرایےؑ) (Caravan Motel) 


6.  CHIK CHUK (چک چک) (Remove the curtain) 


7.  CHITRAL DASTAAN (چترال داستان) (Chitral Tale) 


8.  Dais Huwaa Perdais (دیس ھٗوے پردیس) (Homeland becomes foreign land) : Part-1          Part-2


9.  Deyo Saai (دیوسا یی) 


10. Dakia aur Jolaha (ڈاکیا اور جولاھا) (Postman and cloth-maker) 


11. Gadhay Hamaray Bhai Hain (گدھے ھمارے بھایی ھیں) (Donkeys are our brothers) 


12. Ullo Hamaray Bhai Hain  (Owls are our brothers) 


13. Ghar-e-Hira mien ek Raat (a night in cave Hira) 


14. Guzara Naheen Hota (گزارا نھی ھوتا) (Hard to get by) 


15. Gypsi (جپسی) 


16. Hazaron Hain Shikway (ھزاروں ھیں شکوے) (Have thousands of complaints) 


17. Hazaron Raastay (ھزاروں راستے) (Thousands of paths) 


18. Hunza Dastaan (ھنزھ داستان) (Hunza Tale) : Part-1     Part-2       Part-3


19. K-2 Kahani (کے ٹو کھانی) (K2 Story) 


20. Kaalaash (کالاش) 


21. Khana Badosh (خانھ بدوش) (Gypsi) 


22. Moorat (مورت) (Idol) 


23. Mun Wal Kabbey Shariff (منھ ول کعبے شریف دے) (Face towards Qibla) 


24. Nanga Parbat (نانگاپربت) (named after the mountain) Part-1          Part-2


25. Nepal Nagri (نیپال نگری) (Land of Nepal) 


26. Niklay Teri Talash Main (نکلے تیری تلاش میں) (Out in your search) 


27. Pakhairoo (پکھیرو) (Birds) 


28. Parinday (پرندے) (Birds) 


29. Parwaz (پرواز) (Flight) 


30. Payar Ka Pehla Shehr (پیار کا پھلا شھر) (Love's first city) 


31. Putli Peking Ki (پتلی پیکنگ کی) (Monument from Peking) 


32. Qilaa Jangi (قلعھ جنگی) (Fortified war) 


33. Qurbat-e-Merg Main Mohabbat (قربت مرگ میں محبت) (Love in the vicinity of death)    Part-1          Part-2


34. Raakh (راکھ) (Ash) 


35. Safar Shumal Kay (سفر شمال کے) (Travels of the north) 


36. Shamshaal Baimesaal (شمشھال بیمثال) (Extraordinary Shamshaal) 


37. Shehpar (شھپر) (Wings) 


38. Shuter Murgh Riasat (شتر مرغ ریاست) (Ostrich State) 


39. Snow Lake (سنو لیک) 


40. Sunehri Ullo Ka Shaher (سنھری الو کا شھر) (The city of golden owl) 


41. Yaak Saraey (یاک سرایے) (Yaak Inn) 

No comments:

Post a Comment