Balochi movie, Saheg 2, by Mairaj Mureed is a trailblazer.

Sponsored by Machgadag Films, it carries a message for people to keep an eye on their children. The cast comprises young people, who do justice to the roles they play. The critics have particularly praised the performance of Kareema Ali Bakhsh and Fida Umar.

In the 56-minutes movie, Mairaj has highlighted the obstacles to women’s education. According to a UNICEF report, 78 percent of Balochistan’s girls are out of schools. At high school level, this is mostly on account of there being no schools in the area. The movie urges the parents to send their children, both girls and boys, to schools as this is the key to bringing prosperity to the Baloch society.

The movie also highlights other aspects of the Baloch society. Mairaj has shown how some of the youth are attracted to gatherings where they are introduced to drugs and crimes.

The movie exposes the reality of criminals pretending to be friends who try to stab young people in the back. A doctor in the movie tries to do his best for the protagonist (played by Mairaj Mureed) and his family because many years ago when he (the doctor) was a student Mairaj’s father had helped him continue.

Talking about his latest project, Mairaj Mureed says his purpose was to document certain aspects of the society that are sometimes not very visible or discussed. “Some of our school teachers are very rude towards their students. My own experience in our hometown, Mand, as well as at other schools in Balochistan was discouraging.”

Alif Ailaan’s report of 2017 says that 5,000 schools in Balochistan have no teachers and that 6,000 other schools have only one teacher. It says ‘ghost’ teachers are frequently backed by influential citizens and rarely come to schools. When they do, they leave their students disappointed. This is causing many students to drop out.

Mairaj has portrayed the situation well. He has urged the audience, especially parents and elders, to support and encourage their children when they are disappointed.

“The lack of an adequate number of teachers at schools also results in frequent fights between children. In many schools, children organize themselves into gangs and grow used to violence. I want to persuade my audience to have more patience and respect for others. There should be a relationship of brotherhood among students. They should work together to improve their co-curricular skills and shun the violent gangs,” he says.

All the characters in the movie are students.

The writer is a student at the    University Law College, Quetta. He can be reached at   alijanmaqsood17@gmail.com and tweets at @Alijanmaqsood12