An Early Sunset, a saga of soccer in the slum, begins with a football kicked upwards to the natural source of light, the sun, which taking over its persona then quickly sets beyond the horizon, spreading darkness in its absence.

The 17-minute documentary by Outfield Production will soon be released internationally by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). It is an attempt at capturing the long gone glorious days of football in Karachi's Lyari area that takes pride in producing world-class footballers of the likes of Abdul Ghafoor (also known as the black Pele), Hussain Killer, Captain Umer and Ali Nawaz Baloch.

A debate over how the place got its name and how soccer began in Lyari has Nasir Karim Baloch, chairman of the Zonal Football Association, District South, Karachi; and football veteran and former FIFA Referee Ahmad Jan (who also happens to be in charge of the 18,000-capacity City District Government Karachi [CDGK] Stadium, the venue of the first soccer matches in the city) offering their versions.

Maybe Lyari got its name from a tree that grows at graveyards, perhaps it has been named after a place in Balochistan from where people came down to settle here or after someone called Lee — the fact remains that Lyari was and still is the hub of football in Pakistan, and that's what the makers of this documentary aim to document.

The Greek ships that docked at the Karachi port in 1958 had sailors unwinding and whiling away their time in the

city by playing football, their opponents being the very same men who unloaded the ships' cargo on their shoulders. These bare-footed players from Lyari would lead with six goals by interval time until the Greek visitors raised objections on their not being properly dressed and stop the match, thereby saving themselves from the embarrassment of losing the game.

There was a time when Indian film stars could roam about freely in the streets and markets of Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Dacca (now Dhaka), a luxury not enjoyed by local football legends who, during their playing days, were known to cause massive traffic jams on being spotted in crowded places. The documentary also narrates that the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru would feel honoured to be photographed alongside two people in particular — Dilip Kumar and Captain Umer — one a famous film star and the other a club footballer from Lyari!

It won't be that far off to call Lyari the Harlem of Karachi. The 1.3 million souls squeezed in an area just under nine

square kilometres has people taking out their day-to-day frustrations through the sport. “There are over 150

registered football clubs in Lyari with as many as a 100 within the jurisdiction of Thana Baghdadi alone,” discloses a local police official in An Early Sunset, who himself offers to drop off young players to their playing destinations while patrolling the area.

 While on the subject of the great days of the past when foreign soccer  teams visited here and stadiums would be jam-packed with lovers  of the sport, An Early Sunset also gives the story of young Imran  Abdullah, a lad from Lyari who wants to play professional football but is  prevented from doing so because of underprivileged circumstances. Imran  managed to make the under-13 national team when he was dragged in  greasy clothes and without shoes from the garage he worked in to the  trials by his coach, who believed in his talent and ability. “You have  seen Lyari's broken roads but not the broken hearts of its people,” says the coach in the short documentary.

 Lyariites follow the FIFA World Cup matches like the crazed soccer fans that they are, the restaurants there making special arrangements to show the matches on TV with standby generators in case of power failure. While cheering for Brazil, their favourite team because of the style of football being adopted by the Lyari residents due to the narrow lanes that only permit Brazil-style short passes, they eagerly await the day the Pakistan flag would be flown in the championship.

While on the subject of the great days of the past when foreign soccer teams visited here and stadiums would be jam-packed with lovers of the sport, An Early Sunset also gives the story of young Imran Abdullah, a lad from Lyari who wants to play professional football but is prevented from doing so because of underprivileged circumstances. Imran managed to make the under-13 national team when he was dragged in greasy clothes and without shoes from the garage he worked in to the trials by his coach, who believed in his talent and ability. “You have seen Lyari's broken roads but not the broken hearts of its people,” says the coach in the film.

Putting the real thing on reel has been an eye-opening experience for its producer Khalid Hasan Khan and director Mohammad Waseem, and one that they will cherish for life. “This is not a news report but a documentary in the truest sense of the word,” said Khalid, who makes films as a hobby. “The idea came from Wasim,” he added, giving credit to the director who, besides writing for various local publications, frequently contributes to the Web site www.goal.com.

“For research, we met with the people of Lyari prior to the actual shooting and during the four times we went there, we came across some of the most helpful, accommodating, sincere, honest and disciplined people who came across as thorough professionals. We had been warned about the gang warfare in the area but found nothing that put hurdles in our path. Even those who were boxers came to our assistance though this was not a documentary on them and we just made a brief mention of it. The slum is not the source of sin as we came to learn, but a source of healthy sports,” said Khalid.

With all the legwork and appointments in order, the crew shot An Early Sunset on a shoestring budget. “We spent Rs4,500 on the camera and equipment rental and shot from 11am to 10pm in just one day. The editing took us a month and the whole project cost us under US$100,” said the producer who didn't mind paying for the project from his own pocket.

When asked what they intended to achieve by making the documentary, Khalid said “We want to highlight the rich history of football in Lyari while glamourising the people associated with the sport. We also wanted to remind the people of Karachi, Dhaka and Kolkata what football once meant to them with the hope that they may come together again to re-energise this dying sport in the subcontinent.”

After watching the documentary with excellent narration and subtitles in English, it is surprising that an amateur production can be executed so professionally. But as the former FIFA referee Ahmad Jan said at the preview, “When well-meaning people with only the best interests of the people at heart come together, you only get the best results.”