{{short description|2018 Pakistani documentary film}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Use Pakistani English|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = Indus Blues | image = | alt = | caption = Film poster | director = Jawad Sharif | producer = Jawad Sharif<br>Zeejah Fazli<br>Arieb Azhar<br>Adeel Malik<br>Mohsin Reza Naqvi | writer = Haroon Riaz | starring = Mai Dhai<br>Krishan Laal Bheel<br>Faqir Zulfiqar<br>Ejaz Sarhadi<br>Sachu Khan<br>Zohaib Hassan<br>Ustad Ziauddin | music = Varqa<br>Agha Ibrahim Akram | cinematography = Asmat Bashir | editing = Jawad Sharif<br>Asmat Bashir | studio = <!-- or: | production_companies = --> | distributor = <!-- or: | distributors = --> | released = {{Film date|2018|08||Regina|}} | runtime = 76 minutes | country = Pakistan | language = Urdu <br> English | budget = | gross = }}
'''''Indus Blues''''' is a 2018 Pakistani documentary film produced and directed by filmmaker Jawad Sharif. The film is about the dying folk and classical musical instruments of Pakistan and the struggle of musicians and craftsmen to keep their art alive. The film was premiered in August 2018 at Regina International Film Festival in Canada and nominated for the Best International Documentary Film Award.<ref>{{cite web |title=Indus blues nominated for RIFFA |url=https://nation.com.pk/13-Sep-2018/indus-blues-nominated-for-riffa |website=The Nation |date=13 September 2018 |accessdate=13 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Abbas |first1=Afshan |title=Pakistani Documentary 'Indus Blues' Nominated for International Film Award |url=https://www.hipinpakistan.com/news/1155683 |website=Hip |date=13 September 2018 |accessdate=13 September 2018}}</ref> The official trailer was released in October 2018 in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Desk |first1=Entertainment |title='Indus Blues' trailer explores different musical cultures across Pakistan |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1816516/4-indus-blues-trailer-explores-different-musical-cultures-across-pakistan |website=The Express Tribune |date=2 October 2018 |accessdate=2 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Trailer of Indus Blues launched |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/instep-today/376191-trailer-of-indus-blues-launched |website=The News International}}</ref>
The film has won several awards in the international film festival circuit including the Grand Jury Prize for the Crystal Award at Guam International Film Festival 2018 and the Best Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography Awards at the Jaipur International Film Festival.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baloch |first1=Sehar |title=Pakistani documentary Indus Blues has won two awards in India |url=https://www.bbc.com/urdu/entertainment-46997506 |website=BBC Urdu |date=25 January 2019 |accessdate=25 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pakistani documentary wins two major awards at Jaipur International Film Festival |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/347779/pakistani-documentary-wins-two-major-awards-at-jaipur-international-film-festival/ |website=Daily Times |date=24 January 2019 |accessdate=25 January 2019}}</ref> The film was selected for the CPH:DOX Documentary Film Festival 2019, Denmark<ref>{{cite web |title=Indus Blues to screen at Copenhagen International Documentary Festival |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/instep-today/443740-indus-blues-to-screen-at-copenhagen-international-documentary-festival |website=The News International}}</ref>
== Synopsis ==
The film starts with a showcase of classical folk music as it travels in Pakistan from Moenjodaro to the Makran Coast. The soundtrack for this part of the film includes instruments such as Boreendo, Alghoza, and Banjo. Moving to Sui, Baluchistan for Suroz, Cholistan for Raanti, Gilgit-Baltistan for Chardha, Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Sarinda, and finally to Lahore for Sarangi.<ref>{{cite web |title=Indus Blues |url=https://www.indiememe.org/indus-blues |website=Indie Meme |accessdate=27 April 2019}}</ref>
The cast of the film consists of the musicians and craftsmen narrating the sorry state of affairs and surviving in a society that is intolerant to their art and craft. They recount their experiences and the treatment they receive from people around them, reminding them that they are social outcasts who are looked down upon. They reveal that religious bigotry plays a major role in marginalizing them which has resulted in the lack of patronage and economic problems for these artists. Owing to these factors the fate of the last custodians of the art and the future of the indigenous musical instruments and their craftsmen in Pakistan remains in peril.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ehtesham |first1=Amna |title=Director hits the right note with film on folk music |url=https://www.arabnews.pk/node/1397076/pakistan |website=Arab News |date=31 October 2018 |accessdate=31 October 2018}}</ref>
== Cast ==
Mai Dhai - Folk Artist<br> Krishan Laal Bheel – Folk Artist<br> Faqir Zulifiqar – Boreendo Player Artist & Musician <br> Ejaz Sarhadi – Sarinda Player<br> Sachu Khan – Suroz Player <br> Zohaib Hassan – Sarangi Player<br> Sattar Jogi – Murli Been Player<br> Mumtaz Ali Sabzal – Banjo Player<br> Gulbaz Karim – Chardha Player<br> Akbar Khan Khamisu – Alghoza Player<br> Ustad Ziauddin – Sarangi Craftsman<br> Ibrahim Hajano – Alghoza Craftsman<br> Muhammad Jan – Suroz Craftsman<br> Shafqat Karim – Chardha Craftsman<br> Nighat Chaudhary – Classical Dancer<br> Saif Samejo – Folk & Sufi Artist<br> Arieb Azhar – Folk & Sufi Artist<br> Faqeer Juman Shah – Folk & Sufi Artist
== Production ==
The film took four years to complete with only the post-production taking up to two years and was shot across Pakistan from Gilgit-Baltistan to Sindh and the Makran Coast.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sabeeh |first1=Maheen |title=Still got the Blues |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/568726-still-got-blues |website=The News |accessdate=20 October 2019}}</ref> Jawad Sharif also has stated that "Independent cinema will send the message that our TV Dramas could not."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kamal |first1=Maahir |title=An exclusive insight from Jawad Sharif, the director and producer of Indus Blues |url=https://apdprime.com/independent-cinema-will-send-the-message-that-our-tv-dramas-could-not-an-exclusive-insight-from-jawad-sharif-the-director-and-producer-of-indus-blues/ |website=APD Prime |date=5 September 2018 |accessdate=5 September 2018}}</ref>
== Reception ==
Omair Ali wrote for Wire.in that "As much as the documentary shows the joy that the music brings, it is situated in the bleak atmosphere of a conflict-ridden society, where the musicians are forced to talk of their relatives wounded by mortar shelling, or confronted by villagers accusing them of immoral practices. The pleasure of music, of older, generous traditions is – in the documentary – a small pool of cool water in an increasingly thirsty land."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ahmad |first1=Omair |title='Indus Blues' Documents Musical Traditions Dying out in Pakistan |url=https://thewire.in/south-asia/indus-blues-musical-traditions-pakistan-documentary |website=The Wire |accessdate=11 July 2019}}</ref>
Dr.Nazir Mehmood wrote in the Daily News about the film:"Now ‘Indus Blues’ has taken up the challenge to document near-extinct music and musicians. This is groundbreaking in the sense that, prior to this movie, no other director or producers had ever attempted to highlight the issues faced by our folk musicians and instrument-makers, and how they are trying to keep their art and craft alive."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mahmood |first1=Dr.Naazir |title=An elegy to music |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/383387- |website=The News International |accessdate=21 October 2018}}</ref>
== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable" |+ |- ! Year !! Award !! Category !! Result |- | rowspan="5" | 2018 || Guam International Film Festival || Crystal Award Best Feature Documentary || {{Won}}<ref>{{cite web |title=GIFF 2018 Crystal Award Recipients |url=https://www.guamfilmfestival.org/giff-2018-crystal-award-recipients/}}</ref> |- | Spotlight Documentary Film Awards || Gold Award || {{Won}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Spot Light Documentary Film Awards 2018 |url=http://www.spotlightdocawards.com/2018awards.html}}</ref> |- | South Film and Arts Academy Festival || Best Documentary Feature || {{Won}} |- | Regina International Film Festival || Best Documentary Feature || {{Nominated}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Pakistani film 'Indus Blues' makes it to international film festival nominations |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/367634-pakistani-film-indus-blues-makes-it-to-international-film-festivals-nominations |website=The News International}}</ref> |- | Top Indie Film Awards || Best Documentary Feature || {{Won}} |- | rowspan="2" | 2019 || Mind the Indie Film Festival || Best Documentary Feature || {{Won}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Mind the Indie Film Festival 2019 |url=https://www.mtiff.org/winners-june-2019 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> |- | Jaipur International Film Festival || Best Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography Award || {{Won}}<ref>{{cite web |title=JIFF Awards 2019 |url=http://jiffindia.org/jiffawards.html}}</ref> |- |}
== References == <!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. --> {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://indusbluesfilm.com/ Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806133954/https://indusbluesfilm.com/ |date=6 August 2020 }} * {{IMDb title}}
Category:Pakistani documentary films Category:2018 documentary films Category:2018 films Category:Documentary films about musical instruments Category:2018 Urdu-language films Category:2018 Pakistani films Category:Urdu-language Pakistani films