1. Bibliographic Note
Sharjil Baloch – Filmmaker | Visual Artist | Actor | Social Art Activist
Sharjil Anwar Baloch is an international award-winning documentary filmmaker, actor, and visual artist from Quetta, Pakistan. Born in 1972, he graduated in Medicine from Bolan Medical College in 1998 and began his career as a Research Medical Officer at Aga Khan University Hospital (2000–2001).
In 2001, he founded DASTAK Society for Communications, marking the start of a prolific filmmaking career. His documentaries and short films — often exploring social, political, and cultural themes — have been screened at international festivals and broadcast on major television networks. From 2007 to 2018, he served as the first Online Video Producer for BBC Urdu Service, shaping its digital storytelling vision.
Documentary Highlights
- Ki Jana Main Kaun — Winner, First South Asian Award, Kathmandu (2009)
- Shame — On honour killings in Pakistan
- Summ — Story of an autistic child
- Aur Niklain Gai Usha Ke Qafilay — Pakistan’s first leftist student movement
- Saga of Sindh Police — History of Sindh Police and its museum
- Makkli: A Living Necropolis, Mohenjo-Daro: Our Past or the Future?, Kulachi to Karachi — For the Culture, Tourism & Antiquities Department, Sindh
Short Films
His short films (Ghairatmand, Pervez, Gurmukh Singh Ki Wasiat) have been showcased at KaraFilm Festival, Osian’s Cinefan Film Festival (Delhi), and other international platforms.
Visual Art
Sharjil began painting in 2010 under the mentorship of Maqbool Ahmad, Sir Akram Dost, and Ahmad Ali Manganhar. His practice spans watercolour, acrylic, and charcoal.
Key exhibitions include:
- Surkh Salam (2017) — 56 charcoal portraits of lawyers martyred in the 2016 Quetta Civil Hospital attack, displayed at Balochistan High Court. Featured in Curating After the Global (Luma Foundation & Bard College, 2017).
- Scattered Tears (2023) — Solo watercolour show at Alliance Française de Karachi.
- Emphasis (2024) — Joint show with G. N. Qazi at Alliance Française de Karachi.
- Portraits of Legends — 20+ charcoal portraits of Indian classical musicians for the NAPA Music Room.
International participations include Urbino Acquarello (Italy), Fabriano Acquarello (Italy, representing IWS Pakistan), IWS Prague, and multiple watercolour biennales.
Rang Tamasha – Social Art for Change
Founded in 2015, Rang Tamasha is a creative, non-conflict initiative using public art to bring positive behavioural change. Projects have transformed schools, villages, and urban spaces across Sindh, Karachi, and Balochistan — increasing school enrolment, inspiring civic pride, and fostering youth leadership.
Rang Tamasha has been featured by Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, Dawn News, PTV, Jang, and recognised by the U.S. Consulate Karachi as a Change Maker.
Acting Career
Starting with PTV Quetta in 1995, Sharjil has appeared in numerous television dramas, including Shantul, Ijazat, and Wapsi. He has been nominated three times for Best Actor at the national level by PTV.
Music
A student of Indian classical and folk traditions, he plays the flute, often integrating music into his visual and cinematic work.
2. Artist Statement
I am an artist, filmmaker, and storyteller whose practice is rooted in the intersections of memory, history, and lived experience. Trained as a medical graduate, I entered the world of visual art and cinema not through institutions, but through life itself—through loss, resilience, and the human need to give voice to silence.
My work often begins with a question: how do societies remember, resist, and heal? From the charcoal portraits of the martyred lawyers of Quetta (Surkh Salam) to watercolour meditations on grief and renewal (Scattered Tears, Emphasis), I see art as both a personal reflection and a collective mirror. The fragility of watercolour, the permanence of charcoal, and the moving image in film all serve as languages through which I explore themes of memory, cultural heritage, spirituality, and the economy of violence.
As a filmmaker, I have journeyed through landscapes of Sufism, ancient necropolises, and the struggles of marginalized voices. As a painter, I investigate the poetic spaces between war and economy, silence and sound, tradition and transformation.
My artistic philosophy is anchored in the belief that art is not only for galleries or festivals—it belongs in the streets, in communities, and in the everyday. Through Rang Tamasha, I paint public walls with children and youth, reclaiming neglected spaces as sites of colour, dialogue, and joy.
In all forms, whether through brush, lens, or flute, I strive to create works that carry both intimacy and universality—works that invite reflection on who we are, what we have lost, and what we continue to imagine.
3. Artwork Review
“Of Vibrant Strokes” — You! Magazine, The News (2023)
By Wallia Khairi
“Sharjil Baloch’s journey from medicine to the arts reflects in his mastery of diverse mediums. His charcoal, watercolour, and acrylic works reveal a deep creative versatility. Exhibiting internationally, he continues to bring Pakistan’s artistic voice to global platforms.”
Read full review → https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/you/1138827-of-vibrant-strokes
“The Scatter Here Is Too Great” — Dawn (2023)
By Maheen Aziz
“In Scattered Tears, Baloch’s delicate layering of raindrops serves as both motif and metaphor—tears, veils, and fragments of memory. His art compels viewers to look beyond beauty into the deeper emotional landscapes that shape us.”
Read full review → https://www.dawn.com/news/1799780?utm_
“Of Devotion and Resonance” — You! Magazine, The News (2024)
“An immersive journey through devotion and time. Baloch’s dual vision as painter and filmmaker creates timeless moments, balancing intimacy with universality.”
Read full review → https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/you/1266319-of-devotion-and-resonance
Tributes & Community Recognition
4. The Baloch News (2017)
“Through Surkh Salam, Sharjil Baloch paid heartfelt tribute to the lawyers martyred in the Quetta blast. His charcoal portraits, displayed at the Balochistan High Court, resonated deeply with the community and earned him national respect.”
Film & Documentary Recognition
“Art Must Compel Viewers to Contemplate Life” — TNS / The News on Sunday (2021)
“Sharjil Baloch is not only a painter but a filmmaker who tackles difficult themes—honour killings, spirituality, resistance. His short films (Ghairat Mand, Pervez, Gurmukh Singh Ki Wasiyat) gained international recognition, while his documentary Ki Jana Main Kaun won the South Asian Award in Kathmandu.”
Read full interview → https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/778158-art-must-compel-viewers-to-contemplate-life