Moklani - The Last Mohanas
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Logline:
Moklani is the story of the Mohanas, an indigenous fisherfolk community on Manchar Lake, as they face the sorrow of bidding farewell to a unique heritage that has sustained them for centuries.
Synopsis:
Moklani follows the indigenous Mohana community as they navigate life on the floating boathouses of Manchar Lake in southern Pakistan, a place they have called home for generations. Once nourished by clean water and abundant fish, the lake is now poisoned by pollution and the slow violence of climate change. As the lake shrinks, so does a culture that has lived in harmony with nature for centuries.
At the heart of the story is Akbar, a boatman and father who has lived his entire life on the water. He faces a painful decision, whether to stay and hold on to a vanishing way of life or leave in search of a future his lake may no longer offer. Alongside him is Hakim Zadi, a woman of quiet strength and fierce resilience. Her life reflects the spirit of Mohana women, fishing, rowing, feeding families, and carrying forward traditions as their world unravels.
Through their eyes, we witness not only the ecological destruction of Manchar Lake but also the profound spiritual dislocation it brings. Some in the community remain deeply devoted to their ancestral waters. Others, especially the youth, dream of leaving. The film captures this tension between belonging and departure, past and future.
Moklani, meaning farewell, is not just a story of climate change; it is a poetic elegy for a culture on the verge of extinction. It is a plea, a witness, and a love letter to a vanishing world. Through lyrical imagery and intimate storytelling, the film becomes a meditation on loss, resistance, and the fragile threads that tie humanity to water, memory, and home.
Director & Producer
Jawad Sharif
Releasing Soon
2025/2026
The Mohana: A Legacy on Water
Manchar Lake and Mohana: The Connection
Imagine coming across a centuries-old tribe, living life on boats as their ancestors did, their entire existence shaped by a freshwater lake. They are Mohana—the indigenous people of Manchar Lake in Sindh, Pakistan. For generations, they have lived in harmony with nature, their lives flowing with the rhythm of the lake. From birth to death, the boats are their home, and the lake is their world.
Where did the Mohana come from?
The history of the Mohana dates back over five thousand years, to the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. Many historians believe that they are direct descendants of the people of Mohenjo-Daro, making them one of the oldest indigenous groups in the region. Known as “The Bird People” or Mir Al Bhahar—Lords of the Sea—their connection to the water has always been central to their identity. Historical texts like the Chach Nama trace their lineage, and for centuries, the Mohana thrived, living on boats and fishing in the freshwater lake that was their lifeblood.
Change of Fate: The freshwater lake is polluted
Manchar was once a paradise. The Mohana, among the richest of tribes, lived in close connection with nature. The lake’s water was fresh, brimming with life. Fish thrived in abundance, and migratory birds, traveling from distant lands, flocked to the lake for food. The birds were happy, the humans were happy, and nature flourished. The lake provided for all: plants, fish, birds, and humans alike. It was a delicate balance, a shared existence where every living thing had its place, including the boathouses of the Mohana.
But then came the touch of man, and with it, the slow unraveling of this ancient harmony. The government, in an attempt to manage water and waste, built the Right Bank Outfall Drain in the 1980s. Instead of solving problems, it brought toxic industrial and agricultural waste flowing into Manchar’s pristine waters. This polluted the lake and destroyed the delicate balance between nature and people that had been nurtured for centuries. The fish began to disappear, the birds stopped coming, and the lives of the Mohana were thrown into turmoil. Now, it is hard to say who has suffered more—nature or the people—but both are intertwined in their loss.
Today, the Mohana of Manchar Lake find themselves isolated from the rest of the world, fighting to protect the future of their children. Their homes still float on the water, but the lake they once relied on has turned hostile. The men of the community struggle to adapt, finding ways to cope with the changing environment, leaving the lake to find livelihood. But the women, bound by the conservative traditions of the tribe, remain confined to the boathouses, forced to bear the brunt of environmental degradation. The floods that now sweep through the region are the direct result of climate change, making an already difficult life even more precarious.
The Aftermath
The 1980s brought devastation to the lake. The construction of the drain led to the inflow of toxic waste into Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake, poisoning it. Once, 20,000 Mohana lived on Manchar Lake. Now, only 450 remain. Their numbers have dwindled as the water has grown more toxic, killing the fish they relied on for survival. Climate change has only made things worse. Decreased rainfall and the construction of two dams on the Indus River have reduced the flow of fresh water into the lake. Fourteen of the 200 fish species that once swam in Manchar have vanished, leaving the Mohana with even fewer resources to sustain themselves.
The government, slow to recognize the disaster, took nearly a decade to respond. In 2001, work began on the Right Bank Outfall Drain-II, a new project aimed at diverting the toxic waste away from the lake and into the Arabian Sea. But even now, more than two decades later, the project remains incomplete, leaving the lake’s ecosystem—and the lives of the Mohana—in ruins.
As the lake’s water continue to deteriorate, most of the Mohana have to abandon their age-old traditions. Once, they lived on floating boats, fishing the lake’s waters and maintaining a close bond with the natural world around them. Now, their culture is slowly fading, and with it, their way of life. The story of Manchar Lake is a story of loss—not just of water and fish, but of a centuries-old way of life that may soon disappear forever.
