For 1970 Hindi movie of same name and characters, see
Heer RaanjhaHeer Raanjha is a 1970 Hindi movie, produced by son Ketan Anand and directed by father Chetan Anand. The film stars Raaj Kumar, Priya Rajvansh, Pran, Prithviraj Kapoor, Ajit, Jayant, Sonia Sahni, Kamini Kaushal, Indrani Mukherjee, Achla Sachdev and Tun Tun...
.
Heer Ranjha is one of the four popular tragic romances of the
PunjabThe Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
. The other three are
Mirza SahibaMirza Sahiba is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. Heer Ranjha and Mirza Sahiba, including Sohni Mahiwal and Sassi Punnun are the four tales from Punjab, narrated in Punjabi...
,
Sassi PunnunSassi Punnun ; is one of the seven popular tragic romances from Sindh and Baluchistan. The other six are Umar Marui, Sohni Mehar, Lila Chanesar, Noori Jam Tamachi, Momal Rano and Dhaj, Ror Kumar commonly known as Seven Queens of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai...
and
Sohni MahiwalSohni Mahiwal and is included in seven popular tragic romances from Sindh and Baluchistan. The other six are Momal Rano, Umar Marvi, LiLa Chanesar, Noori Jam Tamachi, Sassi Punnun and Dhaj, Ror Kumar commonly known as Seven Queens of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai...
. There are several poetic narrations of the story, the most famous being 'Heer' by
Waris ShahWaris Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, renowned for his contribution to Punjabi literature. He is best-known for his seminal work Heer Ranjha, based on the traditional folk tale of Heer and her lover Ranjha. Heer is considered one of the quintessential works of classical Punjabi literature...
written in 1766. It tells the story of the love of Heer and her lover Ranjha. Well-known poetic narrations have also been written by
Damodar Das AroraDamodar Das Arora was a famous Punjabi poet, belonging to the Jhang District. He is famous for his poetic narration of the tale of Heer Ranjha, which is titled Heer Damodar. This was the first Punjabi language poem about this famous love-legend...
, Mukbaz and Ahmed Gujjar, among others.
Example
The invocation at the beginning
(The Legends of the Panjab by RC Temple, Rupa and Company, Volume two, page 606)
Rag Hir Ranjha
Translation
First and last, take the name of God; second, of the Great Muhammad, the prophet (of God)
Third, take the name of father and mother, on whose milk my body thrived
Fourth, take the name of bread and water, by eating which my heart is gladdened
Fifth, take the name of Mother Earth, on whom I place my feet.
Sixth, take the name of Khwaja (Khazir, the Saint), who gives me cold water to drink
Seventh, take the name of Guru Gorakh Nath who is worshiped with a platter of milk and rice
Eighth, take the name of Lalanwala who breaks the bonds and the chains of captives
Plot summary
Heer is an extremely beautiful woman, born into a wealthy
JatThe Jat people are a community of traditionally non-elite tillers and herders in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subsequently into the Delhi Territory,...
family of the Sayyal clan in
Jhang- Demographics :According to 1981 census of Pakistan population of Jhang was 1,970,944 with the 434,495 housing units in Jhang. In 1998 census, population of Jhang was 2,834,545, whose annually growth rate was 2.16%. Male population was 1,474,099 and female population was 1,360,446...
, Punjab. Ranjha (whose first name is Dheedo; Ranjha is the surname), also a
JatThe Jat people are a community of traditionally non-elite tillers and herders in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subsequently into the Delhi Territory,...
of the
RanjhaThe Ranjha are a gotra of Jat, found in the eastern uplands of Sargodha, Mandi Bahauddin and Gujrat districts, of Punjab, Pakistan. A small number are also found in Jhelum and Gujranwala districts...
clan, is the youngest of four brothers and lives in the village '
Takht HazaraTakht Hazara is a town in the Sargodha District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 32°7'0N 73°13'60E at an altitude of 192 metres . This is town where Ranjha, the protagonist from the famous Punjabi folk story of Heer Ranjha, was born....
' by the river Chenab. Being his father's favorite son, unlike his brothers who had to toil in the lands, he led a life of ease playing the flute ('Wanjhli'/'
BansuriThe bansuri is a transverse alto flute of Bangladesh, India and Nepal made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or seven finger holes. An ancient musical instrument associated with cowherds and the pastoral tradition, it is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha, and is...
'). After a quarrel with his brothers over land, Ranjha leaves home. In Waris Shah's version of the epic, it is said that Ranjha left his home because his brothers' wives refused to give him food. Eventually he arrives in Heer's village and falls in love with her. Heer offers Ranjha a job as caretaker of her father's cattle. She becomes mesmerised by the way Ranjha plays his flute and eventually falls in love with him. They meet each other secretly for many years until they are caught by Heer's jealous uncle, Kaido, and her parents Chuchak and Malki. Heer is forced by her family and the local priest or '
mullahMullah is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā , meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...
' to marry another man called Saida Khera.
Ranjha is heartbroken. He wanders the countryside alone, until eventually he meets a 'jogi' (ascetic). After meeting Baba Gorakhnath, the founder of the "Kanphata"(pierced ear) sect of jogis, at '
Tilla JogianTilla Jogian is the highest peak in the Eastern Salt Range in Punjab, Pakistan. At 975 meters above sea level, it is about 25 km to the west of Jhelum city and 10 km west of the model village of Khukha. The view from the top of Tilla is highly rewarding...
' (the 'Hill of Ascetics', located 50 miles north of the historic town of
BheraBhera is a city on the Jhelum river in Sargodha District, Punjab province of Pakistan. It lies at latitude 32.48 N, longitude 72.92.-Location:...
,
Sargodha DistrictSargodha District is a district of Punjab province, Pakistan, the capital of the district is Sargodha. It is an agricultural district, wheat, rice, and sugarcane being its main crops. The Sargodha district and region are also famous for citrus fruit; kino is a newly developed variety...
, Punjab), Ranjha becomes a jogi himself, piercing his ears and renouncing the material world. Reciting the name of the Lord, "
Alakh NiranjanAlakh Niranjan is a term in Hinduism and Sikhism where it is used a synonym for Creator, and to describe the characteristics of God and the Self, known as the Atman. Alakh means "sightless" and niranjan means "spotfree"...
", he wanders all over the Punjab, eventually finding the village where Heer now lives.
The two return to Heer's village, where Heer's parents agree to their marriage. However, on the wedding day, Heer's jealous uncle Kaido poisons her food so that the wedding will not take place. Hearing this news, Ranjha rushes to aid Heer, but he is too late, as she has already eaten the poison and died. Brokenhearted once again, Ranjha takes the poisoned
LadduLaddu or Laddoo is a ball-shaped sweet popular in South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh as well as countries with immigrants from South Asia. Laddu is made of flour and sugar with other ingredients that vary by recipe...
(sweet) which Heer has eaten and dies by her side.
Heer and Ranjha are buried in Heer's hometown, Jhang. Lovers and others often pay visits to their mausoleum.
Waris Shah's version
It is believed that the poem of Heer and Ranjha had a happy ending but Waris Shah gave it the sad ending described above, thereby giving it the legendary status it now enjoys. It is argued by Waris Shah in the beginning of his version that the story of Heer and Ranjha has a deeper connotation - the relentless quest of man (humans) for God.
In films
The epic poem has been made into several feature films. Prepartition Indian film versions include Heer Ranjha (1928) starring
ZubeidaZubeida Begum Dhanrajgir was an Indian film actress. She acted in the first Indian talkie movie Alam Ara . Her credits include early hits Devdas , and Sagar Movietone's first talkie, Meri Jaan....
, Heer Ranjha (1929), Heer Ranjha (1931), Heer Ranjha (1948). Later Indian versions include the Hindi films
Heer RaanjhaHeer Raanjha is a 1970 Hindi movie, produced by son Ketan Anand and directed by father Chetan Anand. The film stars Raaj Kumar, Priya Rajvansh, Pran, Prithviraj Kapoor, Ajit, Jayant, Sonia Sahni, Kamini Kaushal, Indrani Mukherjee, Achla Sachdev and Tun Tun...
(1971) directed by
Chetan AnandChetan Anand was an acclaimed Hindi film producer, screenwriter and director from India, whose debut film, Neecha Nagar, bagged the Palme d'Or award, at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946....
and starring
Raaj KumarRaaj Kumar , born Kulbushan Pandit was an Indian actor in Hindi movies. Raaj Kumar started out as sub-inspector of Mumbai police in the late 1940s before he turned to acting with the 1952 film Rangili...
and
Priya RajvanshPriya Rajvansh , born Vera Sundersingh, was an Indian film actress, who is known her performance in films like, Heer Ranjha and Hanste Zakhm , amongst a handful of films she did during her career....
, Heer Ranjha (1992), and the Punjabi film Heer Ranjha (2009) starring singer & actor
Harbhajan MannHarbhajan Mann is a Punjabi singer and actor. Although not known much for his singing he soon became a Punjabi all rounder star in the entertainment industry. He got spotlight in Punjabi music industry with his astonishing performance and miraculous voice in "Husn Jawani"...
. Pakistani versions include
Heer RanjhaHeer Ranjha is a Pakistani Punjabi film, based on the classical story "Heer Waris Shah".-Story:The film revolves around Heer , a girl born into a wealthy family, and Ranjha the youngest of four brothers, whose journey from his own village takes him to the village where Heer lives, and where he...
(1970) directed by Masood Pervaiz, starring Firdous and Ejaz Durrani with songs by
Noor JehanNoorjehan or Noorjehan was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai who was a legendary singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. Her career spanned seven decades...
, Heer starring Sowarn Lata and
Inayat Hussain BhattiInayat Hussain Bhatti was a Pakistani singer, actor, producer, director, script writer, social worker, columnist, religious scholar and a protagonist of the development of Punjabi language and literature.- History :...
, and Heer Sial starring Sudhir and Bahar.
External links