Mona Hussain knew she was part of something special when she took a lead role in The Exchange but nothing could have prepared her for the global sensation it would become.
The Netflix series follows cousins Farida (Rawan Mahdi) and Munira (Hussain) as they set out to prove themselves in the 1980s stock market in Kuwait. The cut-throat industry was an all-boys club at the time. The series draws inspiration from the true story of the first women in the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange.
Season two, scheduled to be released on the streaming platform sometime in 2025, will take another stride forward and “defy expectations”, says the actress.
Speaking to The National, Hussain says was taken aback by the popularity of the first series. “I couldn’t wrap my mind around it,” she says. “People from different countries, different continents, were tuning in and became fans of the show.”
Yet, the global reaction also instilled a certain feeling of responsibility. “Now that we have earned the trust of the audience, we have to build upon that,” she says. “I felt I had to be careful that people were waiting to see what we come up with for season two.”
The first six episodes, Hussain says, offered something new in the landscape of Arab television. The cast and crew were mindful of the fact. “We knew the show was going somewhere different, and we were confident of our efforts and the process,” she says.
“We knew we were offering something of high quality, whether in directing and acting to the visual design of the show. Now, season two is completely different to season one and will again offer something new and unexpected.”
The first season ended in the chaos of the 1987 stock market crash – a global moment of uncertainty that had affected the Kuwaiti exchange as well. The episode concludes with a triumphant moment as Munira emerges as the bank’s manager. Yet, the ending may offer very few clues about what’s to come, Hussain says.
“In every show or film, a sequel carries forward the original plot line,” she says. “The Exchange two is a continuation, but at the same time, it’s a whole new show.”
Hussain says it was a joy to again take on the role of Munira, a confident and goal-orientated person who, even when helping others, prioritises her own success.
“We filmed season two a full year after the first premiered,” Hussain says. “It’s impossible for any actor to stay in any character for that long of a time. So it took some work to embody Munira again. Then there were several new elements to the character that we had to implement.”
That’s also true for all the characters returning for season two. “You won’t see any of them as you knew them,” she adds. “You’ll see changes in them, whether emotionally or through how they look or the jobs they have. We didn’t simply copy and paste.”
Besides The Exchange, Hussain has a number of other projects in the pipeline that she is excited to share soon. Among these is a series that will be releasing during Ramadan, which she hints has a star ensemble. “It’s a different role,” she says. “Something I haven’t done before.”
Season two of The Exchange is scheduled to be released on Netflix sometime in 2025
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ARGENTINA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
