The Balochi Film Karesth, directed by Homer Kiya, is one of the best films Balochi film industry has ever created. The main character in this movie is of Hafeez Lal who is playing the role of Ustad Meero, a drug addict, in the film. The Balochi movie was released in 2018 which soon became popular throughout Balochistan.
This film mainstreamed drug addiction in the Baloch society which has affected badly the everyday life of the people. As shown in the film, Ustad Meero was a talented electric mechanic, but drugs had influenced his career to a great deal. He earned money but all were spent on his drugs, whereas his children could not benefit anything from him. His wife also left him because he was so much addicted to drugs.
In fact, we have a similar picture in the Baloch society as the film showed. Drugs have completely snatched our beloveds from us and destroyed our lives. The movie further showed us the constant rise in drug addiction in our society, and that we ourselves are responsible for this in some regards. We are the ones to sell the hazardous drugs in the streets of our own societies openly just to earn more money in less time. In other words, we destroy our brothers and sisters for the sake of becoming rich; we are the sellers of Baloch’s honor, unveiled the film.
Not only social, but these drugs also have health-related issues. The continuous use of drugs makes a person mentally and physically sick. An estimated number of four to five thousands people die due to drugs annually: the proportion of the death toll of Balochistan is five percent.
Another important point the film conveyed was child labour. We cannot ignore the fact that child labour is on a progress in Balochistan, leading them to quit their education. Although it is ‘not legal’ to make children below the age of fourteen to work as a labour, Balochistan’s most number of children are engaged in workplaces, garages, mines and other hazardous professions.
The key factor to child labour is again irresponsibility of parents – mostly father– who is either a drug addict or has no profession. In the film, Ustad Meero’s son was a labour because his father had engrossed him in drugs. He worked in a young age to make a living for his family and make his grandfather treated who was sick. Had his father taken care of his family, he would have been in a school other than a hotel to earn a living.
In practical, Balochistan’s 71 percent children are out of school, who can be traced in workplaces. It is not that they do not wish to study, but compulsion is at its peak in Balochistan in either way. No matter how rich Balochistan is in terms of natural resources, it has always been neglected in giving back its share. Same is the case with employment and educational progress.
In short, Karesth film has showed us the real face of Balochistan where everything is portrayed as it is in the real life. The director, Homer Kiya – and his team– has done a wonderful job in spreading awareness as to how Balochistan is being dragged towards a dark cave. We expect some more works on the current situations of Balochistan by the Balochi film industry so that they also may put their efforts in making Balochistan a prosperous place.
