In a remote mountainous region 500 kilometres off Quetta lies a desolate, dust-covered village with a dwindling population. This settlement is barren with no sign of crops or livestock. In its heart lies a crumbling water well, the only source of hydration for miles. It is here where Saawan lives — a boy of nine years inflicted with polio.

Because of his physical handicap, Saawan is repeatedly beaten up and bullied by kids whose families have yet to leave the village; the little monsters call him langrra (cripple). The elders aren’t any different. They scramble when he coughs, fearing he has kaali khaansi (whooping cough). As if being branded a living plague isn’t enough, there are worse problems at home.

His father (Arif Bahalim) is a quick-to-strike, conservative slacker while his mother (Najiba Faiz) has a heart of gold. Given their destitute circumstances, she has compromised with their predicament. Escaping these desolate circumstances takes 5,000 rupees but for folk who survive on rations flung out from humanitarian relief helicopters, even this amount seems like millions.

Inspired by real-life incidents, Saawan has great potential but far greater problems

Battered by life, Saawan is wise beyond his years. He worries about his baby sister’s health, fearing that one day she would also succumb to this affliction. Then on an ill-fated day, for reasons that cannot be disclosed here for fear of giving away too much of the story, he decides to stay behind while his family takes the only opportunity to escape. As they leave, his father’s sense of self shatters and his mother wails at their bad kismet. The boy, however, finds the will to stand up for himself, brave dangerous terrains and make his way to civilisation and family.

It takes time, but one realises that the meaning of the boy’s name could either be a form of cruel sarcasm or hopeless naivety. Either way, it would lead to a great story … make that could have led to.

Inspired by real-life incidents, the film has great potential but far greater problems. The story, for instance, tries to include every peril that comes with the topic: child traffickers, evil politicians, penniless refugees, random scenes of terrorism — and most importantly — illiteracy in rural areas that leads to both polio and brutality against doctors.

Battered by life, Saawan is wise beyond his years. He worries about his baby sister’s health, fearing that one day she would also succumb to this affliction. Then on an ill-fated day he decides to stay behind while his family takes the only opportunity to escape. The boy, however, finds the will to stand up for himself, brave dangerous terrains and make his way to civilisation and family.

The screenplay by Mashood Qadri (co-producer) moves back and forth in time while including related events into the main plot. Some of these could easily have been edited out, however, as we get to a point when there’s too much of everything which tires out one’s interest and needlessly bloats the film’s duration. By the halfway mark, the story of the boy’s resilience becomes a nearly forgotten priority.

Instead of covering every angle of Saawan’s life with fervour, a sleeker narrative of his journey would have worked wonders. It might also have helped the Pakistan Oscar committee’s selection for the Best Foreign Language category move beyond the first round.

Producer, director and cinematographer Farhan Alam is great with the lens. For those who know him as the cinematographer of Bin Roye, this isn’t really a revelation. He captures unending vistas of cascading mountaintops, graying gravel and sometimes a shot or two of green meadowlands and yawning ponds. Nature’s best handiwork (also a large factor of the production design) looks fabulous, helping maintain visual interest. His actors do the rest, ranging from good to nearly great (the lot includes Saleem Mairaj who hams it up as a villainous child trafficker).

As Saawan, Syed Karam Abbas is engaging. At key moments Alam uses him to create scenes of intense emotional power. These raw instances often take your mind off the notion that what we’re seeing is less of a motion picture and more of a docu-drama advertising illiteracy and wrong-doings in Pakistan (always a matter of great applause in international festivals).

Rather than telling an incredible story, Saawan gives you an impression of what it could have been, only if it had been edited down.

Published in Dawn, ICON, September 24th, 2017