Review of Amar Mahboob's film Colours of Sand

Colours of Sand by Amar Mahboob, supported by the Thardeep Foundation

A golden colour sometimes,
the colour of the joy of meeting
A greyish colour that is the colour of an insipid span-of-time,
The colour of yellow leaves, of sticks and straw,
The colour of red flowers, of a flaming flower-bed,
The colour of poison, blood-colour, the colour of dark night
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(Translated by Victor Kiernan)

Pakistanis know Thar as the land of endless droughts. While droughts have frequently devastated this enchanting land, Thar is one of themost diverse and culturally rich places in Pakistan. Just a littlerainfall turns this desert into a lush wilderness with pristinelandscapes. This film depicts Thar in its innumerable colors.

Atteqa's review

A film with stunning visuals, this is a fantastic ethnographic study by Amar Mahboob of the Thar desert in Pakistan. His focus is the people of Thar, their different castes, histories, rituals and how their attitudes affect their lives. It shows how different seasons are celebrated and the simplicity of lifestyles sustains the people in extremely harsh living conditions. Water is shown as the main agent behind the whole philosophy of life there. What happens when there is water and how preparation is made for when there wont be water is really intriguing to see for me, a person from the city, used to taking running water for granted. Amar has shown how the people bring colour to the dry desert through their vibrant clothes, soulful songs and seasonal rituals.More works like these on the different regions of Pakistan would become an asset for Tourism, Education and Ethnography of this country.