Author: Zohra Aslam
Abstract
The Punjabi language revivalist movement has pushed for the de-marginalization of Punjabi within Pakistan. The insistence on the revival of Punjabi was rooted in the need to challenge prominent language ideologies around Punjabi as being “low-class, backwards and vulgar” (Kirk 18). Its origins can be traced back to the 1960s, when writers belonging to the Lahori literary elite began to promote the use of Punjabi by publishing works that propagated new notions of Punjabiyat. The “spirit of Punjabiyat” (Ayres 67) is a core historical and literary truth that the use of Punjabi must disclose. The early proponents of the Punjabiyat movement derived their characters from Punjabi folklore, who represented strength and resistance against hegemonic stately and foreign authority. Among Punjab’s folklore the most popular qissa is Waris Shah’s Heer Ranjha, which is now perceived to be authentically Punjabi. The popularity of the qissa can also be gauged by its prevalence within Pakistani cinema. Between the years 1947 and 2015, 10 cinematic renditions of the qissa have been produced. Its continuing popularity can partially be explained through the image of Punjab and the ideas of Punjabiyat that it offers to the audiences. This essay seeks to compare the ideological constructions generated by these two spheres of cultural production–literature and film. It will compare the notions of Punjabiyat generated by the Punjabi literary elite and how those notions relate to cinematic renditions of Heer Ranjha, to see where they intersect, depart and reach consensus. In doing so, it will consider two renditions of Heer Ranjha; one produced in 1970, and the other produced in 2012. The essay is an analysis of these movies in the context of Punjabiyat in Pakistan and its related socio-political and historical groundings.
Keywords:
Punjabi Cinema, Qissa, Punjabiyat, Language Ideologies, Identity
