''Saawan'' ( ur, ) is a 2017 Pakistani suspense

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Farhan Alam and produced and written by Mashood Qadri under the production banner of Kalakar Films. The film is based on a true story of a disabled child, who faced difficulties in the deserts of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. The film stars Saleem Mairaj, Syed Karam Abbas, Arif Bahalim, Najiba Faiz and Imran Aslam in the lead roles. The other cast includes

Tipu Sharif Yörgüç Tipu Sharif, better known as Tipu Sharif ( ur, ), is a Pakistan-based actor and singer-songwriter of Pakistani and Turkish descent. His mother is from Izmir, while his father is from Karachi, Pakistan. Career Tipu Sharif has been act ...

, Hafeez Ali, Sehrish Qadri, Sohail Malik, Shahid Niazmi, Muhammad Abbas, Danial Yunus, Mehek Zulfiqar and Syed Muhammad Ali. A special appearance is made by Lt. Gen. S. A. A. Najmi (R). It was selected as the Pakistani entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

90th Academy Awards The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2017, and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was held on March 4, ...

, but it was not nominated.

Plot

The film tells the story of a disabled child, who is up against all kinds of obstacles and cruelty.

Cast

Saleem Mairaj Salim, Saleem or Selim may refer to: People *Salim (name), or Saleem or Salem or Selim, a name of Arabic origin *Salim (poet) (1800–1866) *Saleem (playwright) (fl. 1996) *Selim I, Selim II and Selim III, Ottoman Sultans * Selim people, an e ...

*Syed Karam Abbas *Arif Bahalim *

Najiba Faiz Najiba Faiz (Pashto: نجیبه فېض) born 1 August 1988, is an Afghan-born Pakistani television host, television and film actress, known for playing variety of notable characters in films and in television mostly in Pakistan and Afghanistan. ...

* Imran Aslam *

*Hafeez Ali *Sehrish Qadri *Sohail Malik *Shahid Niazmi *Muhammad Abbas *Danial Yunus *Mehek Zulfiqar *Syed Muhammad Ali * Lt. Gen. S. A. A. Najmi (R) * Liam (dog)

Production

The official trailer of the film was released in early March 2016. The film was shot in the Balochistan and Northern region of Pakistan in

Quetta district Quetta ( ps, کوټه, bal, , ur, ) is a district in the north-west of the Balochistan province of Pakistan, on the border with Kandahar province, Afghanistan. It is part of Quetta Division. The district is famous for its agriculture produce, ...

Ziarat district Ziarat ( ur, ) is a district in the north of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Ziarat town (situated at an altitude of about 2,400 meters) is headquarters of the district of the Sub division, and also of the tehsil. Khalifat Hills have the highe ...

, Gilgit-Baltistan and

Shigar Shigar () is the headquarter of its namesake district and tehsil in the Baltistan division of Gilgit–Baltistan in northern Pakistan. It is located at the bank of Shigar River in the most remote and dramatic part of the region. It is a popula ...

Release

The film is scheduled for release in 2017 in

as well as

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

under the production banner of Kalakar Films. Rehmat K Fazli, the head of Geo Films in an Interview confirmed that film will release in late September 2017.

Home media

''Saawan'' was made available for streaming on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

Awards

The film won 'Best Foreign Language Feature Film' award at the Madrid International Film Festival 2017, Saawan has also been selected at the Social World Film Festival, Italy, where it is nominated for Best Film, Best Director and special prize of the critics award. The film won 'Best Film' and 'Best Director' with Farhan Alam at the Social World Film Festival 2017 in Naples,Italy. The film won "Best Film' and 'Best Musical Score' at the Salento International Film Festival 2017

References

External links

* * {{Pakistani submission for Academy Awards 2017 films Pakistani drama films Films shot in Gilgit-Baltistan 2010s Urdu-language films 2017 drama films