Saawan is one of those Pakistani films that take the audience on a ride from which they end up learning something, instead of spending the time laughing and enjoying. Based on true events, it is the story of a polio-ridden boy Saawan (Syed Karam Abbas) who searches for his family that abandoned him by mistake. He gets to meet a zombie-man in his village, a couple of kidnappers, a three-legged dog and a group of children set to be sold to the Middle East. Saawan helps them out and in the process beats all odds to reach the city safely; how he does it is what makes Saawan such a worthy experience.

Directed by Farhan Alam and written by Mashood Qadri, the film has some solid performances from newcomers like Karam Abbas who plays the title role. The youngster first crawls and later limps into the hearts of all and gives one of the best performances ever given by a child actor in a Pakistani film in the last few years. Najiba Faiz plays his mother and in every scene, she convinces the audience that she is the real mother of the kid who lost one of his legs to polio. Imran Aslam portrays the role of a journalist, Saleem Mairaj is the kidnapper, Sohail Malik as the sardar and Tipu Sharif as an Army Officer. This might be the first time in his career that Saleem Mairaj couldn’t deliver as per the expectations, as he gets to repeat a line again and again within a span of a few minutes with a sinister laugh that doesn’t threaten anyone at all.

The film has won accolades from all over the world for its realistic approach to life in the mountainous regions of Pakistan and had it been 30 minutes short, it would have appealed to the cinema going audience who seem to be more interested in commercial flicks like Punjab Nahi Jaungi and Na Maloom Afraad 2. The linking of scenes in most places is done exceptionally, however, the back and forth narration confuses the audience. The film has been shortlisted for Oscar nomination and since it shows the real face of feudalism, child abductions and illiteracy, it is likely to get the nod for Academy Awards. •

Verdict: Had Saawan been 30 minutes short, it would have appealed to the cinema going audience who seem to be more interested in commercial flicks