“It’s time that Pakistani children have their own superheroes,” said Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy about her latest venture, a fully-animated feature film for children (and the adults that will accompany them). We couldn’t agree more.

At the recently-held preview of Teen Bahadur, we were introduced to the little warriors in the film. There is Amna, who has the power of speed, Kamil who has super sharp hearing and Saadi who is amazing at math and by extension, quite possibly at physics. Together they form a formidable albeit adorable team that fights the menace they feel is plaguing society.

“These powers exist in all of us,” said Obaid-Chinoy.

This is where I would disagree with her, math isn’t my superpower. Not by a long stretch.

“We all have super powers, we just don’t know about them,” she added.

That may be true, but mine have yet to be revealed.

“It’s time that Pakistani children have their own heroes who live in cities and villages just like their own,” she added, “The cities in the movie are actual cities in Pakistan.”

In the small clips that were screened the city the children live in is shown with a lot of detail. Now and then, you feel you’ve recognized a popular landmark and it’s kind of strange and yet, exciting seeing places you’ve been to animated like that.

All of the cities are connected by a clock tower. What purpose does the clock tower serve? That we’ll find out in the summer of 2015 when the movie is slated for a release.

First there was a school teacher fighting crime as Burqa Avenger on TV, and now, with Teen Bahadhur it’s the school children ... coming soon to a cinema screen near you

The soundtrack and main theme song which has been done by Shiraz Uppal is also incredibly catchy.

We were also given a glimpse of what it took to make the film. That includes the various actors — ranging from Alyy Khan, Jawaid Sheikh, Shehroze Sabzwari among others — that lent their voices to the film as well as the long and tedious storyboarding and animating process.

Also revealed at the preview is the news that a Teen Bahadur comic strip will come out very soon to acquaint audiences with the characters and the story in the film.

“Teen Bahadur is not just a movie. It is a movement,” stated Obaid-Chinoy strongly, “The message we’re sending with this film is that ‘We shall overcome.’ Like these three kids, we can face the challenges that come our way. You don’t need to be a superhero. You are a superhero.”

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 28th, 2014