Dareechah-e-Nigaarish

Roohi Bano (1951-2019) was an iconic Pakistani actress who contributed heavily (with her mesmerizing acting) to the success of Urdu and Punjabi language teleplays broadcast by a fledgling Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) during the late 1960's, the 1970's and the mid-1980's ... She was the daughter of the renowned Indian musical maestro, Ustad Allah Rakha (master Tabla player and classical musician) and the sister of Indian musician Zakir Husain.
Roohi Bano teamed up with Urdu and Punjabi playwrights like Munnoo Bhai, Ashfaq Ahmad, Bano Qudsia, Dr. Enver Sajjad and the massively popular Haseena Moeen.  Her outstanding performances in Qila Kahani, Zard Gulaab, Hairatkada, Darwaza, Kiran Kahani, etc. placed her head and shoulders above her counterparts.
The list of her memorable performances is long.... one can list her role in Munnoo Bhai's Punjabi drama serial "Jazeera", many short teleplays (25-30 min. duration) which aired on PTV in the 6pm-7pm prime time slot, her many roles in the revolutionary drama serial "Aik mohabbat sau afsaanay" written by Ashfaq Ahmad (before his strange atavistic reversal to Pakistan Military's version of Pakistani Islam) .... this included a masterful performance by Roohi Bano of a teenaged farm laborer working in an orchard who falls secretly in love with the new village school teacher.... her role in the Munnoo Bhai long teleplay (2 hour duration) "Darwaza" all the way to her memorable performances in the first two drama serials written by Haseena Moeen ("Kiran Kahani" and "Zair, Zabar, Paish").
Unfortunately for Roohi Bano, the failure of her marriage combined with political victimization by Lahore Studios producers of PTV who refused to cast her in any play after she opted to act in Haseena Moeen's television serials from Karachi Studios ... Roohi was a victim of petty professional jealousy of PTV producers which ultimately took a toll on her mental health and she slid into a long and chronic depression from the late 1980's till her death in January, 2019. Her only son Ali's murder exacerbated her mential illness.

The theme for International Women's Day 2021 is Choose to Challenge . . . Challenge sexism and racism as it applies to Women around the World . . .