Darya Kay Iss Paar (This Bank of the River) (2021)

"Darya Kay Iss Paar" (This Bank of The River) is the story of a young girl who lives in the Northern region of Pakistan. Gull Zareen is facing depression due to many aspects of her life. The cold isolation of the mountainous area where she lives intensifies her problems. The pressures that began when she was a student are compounded after she marries. No one in her life acknowledges her feelings or thoughts. Rigid social values and norms add fuel to the fire. One gloomy dawn, she reaches a breaking point, plunges herself into the river, and drowns. This story depicts the typical cultural behavior of society towards mental illness. The heartrending tale is a roller-coaster ride of emotions that we hope will cause viewers to reflect on, and reconsider this too-common tragedy. The ghost of depression has been haunting humans since day one and committing suicide is one of the practical manifestations of it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) every year approximately 1 million people die because of suicide and the rate of committing suicide is rising rapidly with the passage of time. Pakistan is no exception to the rising rate of suicide. Though the suicide rate is below in comparison with the global rate, yet in some areas, it is increasing day by day. The irony is that owing to some social taboos it is difficult to discuss and treat this social issue rationally. Despite having a high literacy rate, there are some areas where the suicide rate is constantly increasing. The film, "Darya Kay Iss Paar" is nothing but a humble effort to raise this issue at national and international levels. The essence behind this sincere effort is to table this stigmatized social evil and to trigger the debate, at least, in the battle against depression and mental illness.