KARACHI, September 08, 2025 — After a 28-year gap, Sindhi cinema is returning to the big screen with “Indus Echoes” (Sindhu Ji Goonj), but the film’s unique distribution plan has sparked debate over whether Pakistan is finally ready to support regional-language films.
Directed by film critic-turned-filmmaker Rahul Aijaz, the movie stars Vajdaan Shah, Ansaar Mahar, and Samina Seher. Distributor Anthem Films announced that the release will follow a staggered step-plan: premiering on September 12, 2025, at Moonplex and Cinepax cinemas in Larkana and Hyderabad, before expanding to Karachi on September 19. By October, the film will reach Islamabad and Punjab.
“This strategy isn’t just unusual — it’s necessary,” said Mohammad Kamran Jawaid, the executive producer and longtime film critic behind its distribution. “Indie films with strong stories often vanish after one weekend. By expanding step by step, we’re building word of mouth instead of letting the film die quietly.”
The film already has international recognition, with selections at the Jaipur International Film Festival and the London-Pakistani Film Festival in October.
Produced by Tanveer Hossain (winner of the New Currents Award at Busan 2023 for The Wrestler) and Rahul Aijaz, the project is an international collaboration involving Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South Korea, with Canadian filmmaker Paul Battle overseeing post-production and Ecuadorian filmmaker Saulo Aroca Rosas handling color grading.
Veteran actor Shamoon Abbasi, along with Akhtiar Ali Kalwar, Vajdaan Shah, Zaid Aziz, and Jawaid, also served as executive producers. The film is a joint production of Film N’ Chips Media Productions, Shaam Films Entertainment, Green Screen, Big Meta Films, Vox Vision, and Anthem Films, with Karachi’s Climate Action Center acting as its official outreach partner.
But the real question remains: Will audiences outside Sindh show up for Sindhi-language cinema — or will “Indus Echoes” face the same fate as countless overlooked regional films in Pakistan?
