Ahead Of Paurashpur Release, A Look At 5 Eternal And Forbidden Love Stories Of India

Paurashpur is an upcoming ZEE5 Original drama series premiering on 15 December. This periodical drama unveils the mystery behind Maharaja Bhadarpratap’s missing queens. The narrative will also highlight the hypocritical behaviour of the king. As the audience awaits the release of the gripping drama, here is a look at 5 eternal and forbidden love stories of India.

Heer – Ranjha

Talking about love and sacrifice, Heer Ranjha is one of the most popular love stories of India. A Punjabi Jat, Ranjha was forced to leave his home and travelled around till he reached Heer’s village. He used to play the flute and one fine day he fell in love with a beautiful girl of the village. Heer gave him the job of taking care of her father’s cattle and she fell in love with his flute playing. They used to meet secretly but unfortunately one day they were caught and Ranjha was asked to leave.  He went and became a Jogi and renounced the world. Meanwhile, Heer was married off to Saida Khera. After a few years, Heer and Ranjha eventually found their ways towards each other but on the day of their wedding Heer’s jealous uncle poisoned the food which killed Heer. Ranjha then deliberately ate the poisoned food to commit suicide alongside Heer.

Laila- Majnu

Love is often associated with some eternal and forbidden love stories. One of these is the popular love story of Laila and Majnu. Laila was a beautiful girl born in a rich family. Being no less than a princess, she was expected to marry a wealthy boy and live in grandeur and splendour. But love is born from the heart; it knows no rules. Laila fell in love with Qays and he too loved her dearly. Being a poet, Qays wrote several poems for Laila. Qays asked his father to get married to Laila but her father refused and she was married to a wealthy man. Laila was devastated and died due to illness. Qays left everything for Laila and wandered in the wilderness. He was found dead near Laila’s grave where he engraved his last poem. He came to know as Majnu or Majnun Layla which means Driven by the love of Laila.

Mirza- Sahiba

Mirza and Sahiba is another Punjabi folk tale about Mirza, the son of a Kharal Jat land baron and Sahiba, the daughter of the chief of Kheewa of Sial tribe. They grew up together and fell in love. When they grew up, Mirza had to go back to his home town and meanwhile Sahiba was forced to marry someone else. She wrote a letter to Mirza to come to save her. Mirza went despite warnings from his family and carried her away during her mehndi ceremony. Sahiba’s brothers chased them and eventually caught up and fought Mirza, killing him with a sword. When Sahiba saw this, she killed herself with Mirza’s sword.

Salim- Anarkali

The film Mughal-E-Azam gave a beautiful portrayal of this unbelievable tale of love. The love story of the Mughal prince Salim and the courtesan Anarkali is an ode to love. Talking about the love story, Salim’s father, the emperor Akbar was not happy with their love affair, which eventually led to Salim declaring war against Akbar. Akbar won the war with his power. Anarkali sacrificed her love to save Salim as she entombed herself alive.

Sohni – Mahiwal

Another great love story coming out of the regional folk tales is Sohni Mahiwal. This is the story of Sohni, the daughter of a potter and Mahiwal, a buffalo herder. Sohni was pressurised to marry another potter but her love for Mahiwal was eternal which drove her to swim across a river to meet Mahiwal. She used an earthen pot to help her swim across. When her sister-in-law found out about this, she replaced the baked earthen pot with an unbaked one. After that when she tried to cross the river the unbaked clay dissolved in the water and she drowned. Mahiwal saw Sohni dying and proved his eternal love by jumping into the water to die with her.

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