Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: June 03, 2022 | 
| 中文
Talat Hussain with Shahzad Khalil
If you start to make a list of male actors of the subcontinent who mastered the art of both physical and vocal mastery, then the list will not be complete without Talat Hussain’s name. His voice modulation, his loaded pauses while delivering dialogues, and his skillful use of an introspective expression were his signature techniques. With those, he added layers of complexity and interest to any character he portrayed on screen.
Born in 1940 to Altaf Hussain Warsi and Shaista Begum in Delhi, Talat was one of their three sons but the only who wanted to take up performing arts from a young age. His mother was a strict disciplinarian, and not very keen that Talat waste his time in these futile pursuits, but his father encouraged him to follow his passion even at that early age.
Once the family moved to Pakistan after Partition and settled in Karachi, Shaista Begum started a career of her own as a pioneer announcer and broadcaster on Radio Pakistan. The family was of modest means and Talat often recalls how his father would give him whatever money he could spare to watch films at the local cinema, often to the chagrin of Shaista Begum. Interestingly, in the hit educational film of 1962, ‘Chiragh Jalta Raha’, directed and produced by Fazal Karim Fazli, a young Talat Hussain got the opportunity to play a small role. This film which debuted cinema greats such as Mohammad Ali, Zeba, and Kamal Irani also had the distinction that it was the famous Indian singer Talat Mehmood’s first and last film in Pakistan. He sang three songs for it; Kuch Hua Hasil Na Ab Tak, Mushkil Nikla Dil Ka Sanbhalna and Salam Us Per Keh Jis Na Bekason Ki Dastgeeri Ki. What makes this film even more memorable is the fact that Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, sister of Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, attended the inauguration of ‘Chiragh Jalta Raha’. Young Talat Hussain played the role of famous actress Deeba’s younger brother in the film.
Talat Hussain and Nadeem
Talat started his career as a radio artist in 1964. He started acting for the television in 1965. His first television play as an actor from Karachi was ‘Arjumand’. In 1969 he acted in another film ‘Ishara’, written, produced and directed by Waheed Murad. The 1970 film ‘Insan aur Aadmi’, had Zeba, Mohammad Ali, Asiya and Talat Hussain in leading roles. In 1971, Talat Hussain worked in ‘Malkoçoğlu Ölüm Fedaileri’, a Turkish film which was later dubbed in English. In 1972, he moved to England, and joined the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). Once in England, Talat worked as a waiter and dishwasher to make his ends meet, while pursuing his acting course. Talat Hussain is one of the few actors who made the effort to actually get professional training of their art.
Hussain's early roles on television in the UK were in Jimmy Perry and David Croft's ‘It Ain't Half Hot Mum’, ‘Cabaret Time’, ‘Don't Take the Mickey’, and ‘Fight to Jovani’ alongside Jeffrey Holland and Robin Parkinson. He also worked for BBC Radio in the play, ‘Crown Coat’. He acted on stage in the UK as well as in ‘Comedian’, which was performed at the Nottingham Play House and in the West End. He went on to act in Channel Four's television serial ‘Traffik’ and ‘Family Pride’, and in 2006, Talat Hussain won the Amanda Award for the Best Supporting Role in the Norwegian film ‘Import-Export’. He actually learned the Norwegian language for the film, and considers this award as the highlight of his acting career, and rightly so.
Talat Hussain at his wedding with his wife Dr. Rakhshanda Hussain and Raju Jamil
On the personal front, Talat Hussain married Rakhshanda Talat in 1974. Rakhshanda was a student of psychology at the time and went on to get her doctorate in psychology and headed the Department of Psychology at the Karachi university. They have two daughters and a son. Talat Hussain’s daughters also acted in a few drama serials before pursuing other interests. The eldest daughter, Tazeen Hussain, is still remembered for her short but memorable stint as an actor.
Talat Hussain with his daughter Tazeen Hussain
In the 1980s, Talat narrated the translation of the entire Qur'an in the Urdu language, which was released by the Shalimar Recording Company on an audiotape set, and was later converted on an audio CD set as well. His voice was considered perfect to narrate the Holy Book with the right effect.
All this while, Talat was also acting in local films too. In 1983, Talat Hussain worked in ‘Gumnaam’, a Shabnam and Nadeem starrer for which he got the National Film Award. He got the Nigar Award for the Best Supporting Actor in the film category for ‘Miss Bangkok’ in 1986. He worked in the Indian film ‘Soutan Ki Beti’ in 1989 opposite Rekha, Jeetendra and Jaya Prada. Talat had a short role in 1998 film ‘Jinnah’ as well. Despite brief screen time, he gave a very soul stirring performance in the character of a refugee.
In all, Talat Hussain worked in about a dozen Pakistani films but his popularity as an actor of television remained dominant. His most notable performances on TV include ‘Parchaiyaan’, ‘Bandish’, ‘Hawain’, ‘Kashkol’, ‘Aansoo’ and ‘Des Pardes’. In ‘Parchaiyaan’, he played the antagonist’s role against the most popular actors of their time, Rahat Kazmi and Saira Kazmi, and held his own. In a long play ‘Typewriter’, his performance against the equally brilliant Khalida Riyasat is considered a classic. ‘Typewriter’, available on YouTube, is an adaptation of a western stage play and the whole drama is set on one set, that of an office. There are just two characters in the play who are both typists in an office with big dreams for their future. With the passing of time suggested through a large wall-clock, they both grow from young to old while stuck in the same rut of earning a livelihood, and their dreams slowly but gradually wither away. The way Talat Hussain and Khalida projected that transition in time and age can be easily considered one of the best performances ever in any Pakistani television drama.
Talat Hussain in ‘Parchaiyaan’
In ‘Hawain’, his character Meer Mohammad, a father of two young daughters who, by a turn of fate, is wrongly accused of murder and ends up spending most of his married life as an absconder away from his family, gained phenomenal popularity. Meer Mohammad returns to his family only to spend a few days before he is taken to the gallows, and Talat Hussain’s powerful portrayal of this complex character made the whole nation mourn as if they lost one of their own.
Talat Hussain as Meer Mohammad in ‘Hawain’
During his career, Talat Hussain also acted in many stage productions including ‘Andhera Ujala’, ‘Raz o Niaz’ and ‘Sufaid Khoon’ among others. In 2012, he joined the faculty of the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) where he taught acting. He served as a member of the governing body at the Karachi Arts Council and an ambassador of ‘I Am Karachi’. He has also been affiliated with Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) as a member, and has served as an ambassador of the National Book Foundation of Pakistan.
Talat Hussain received the President’s Pride of Performance Award in 1982, and the Government of Pakistan also conferred Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Distinction) on him in 2021. Now he spends most of his time with his books and his grandchildren, but is always happy to share his wealth of talent, knowledge and experience of acting with younger actors. He is a living legend whose acting skills will be difficult to match by younger actors.
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