Another ‘Heer Ranjha’ from PTV on the cards | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Another ‘Heer Ranjha’ from PTV on the cards

By Ghulam Hussain

LAHORE: PTV is producing a classic 13-episode mega and musical drama serial ‘Heer Ranjha’, which will be the home production of PTV. Farhan Agha is the producer of this serial, who is working very hard over it.

To make the serial a masterpiece, PTV has hired the services of seasoned and well-known drama writer Ahmad Aqeel Rubby, Shahid Zahoor as director and Mian Yousaf Salahuddin as music composer. Shahid Zahoor is also a competent photographer. In an exclusive interview with Daily Times, Aqeel Rubby revealed that the shooting of the mega serial is continuing with all the artists at the original locations such as Jhang, Jauharabad, Rangpur and Takht Hazara. Rubby said that he has written ‘Heer Ranjha’ under the perspective of the original story of Waris Shah, which had been written many times, but the story is the same.

The first ‘Heer Ranjha’ was written in 1767, which was Waris Shah’s original version of ‘Heer’, Rubby disclosed. He further said that considering its historical background, he has written it in the shape of a play after thorough research and had tried not to make it filmi. Ahsan Khan is playing the role of Ranjha, Zaaria would play Heer, Mohsin Gillani playing Heer’s father, Saba Faisal would be Heer’s mother while Shafqat Cheema is playing the role of Kaedo, Rubby told.

Rubby said the serial was near completion, which will go on air by June. Every episode would be 45-minute long and two songs would be included in every episode, he maintained. “The songs have been written by me and Mian Yousaf Salahuddin himself and we also composed them with the best of our skills. Mian Yousaf Salahuddin is a complete master composer and has rich knowledge of music,” he added.

When asked if he was satisfied with the performances of all the actors, he replied that he had conceived all the characters after studying their perspective and also briefed them about the perspective of their roles. Rubby said that PTV Controller Kazim, PTV General Manger Agha Zulfikar, Shahid Zahoor and Yousaf Salahuddin helped him a lot to make it almost similar to the real ‘Heer Ranjha’.

Daily Times