Heer Waris Shah - The Awakening of Love

Waris Shah's epic, reimagined for a new generation, featuring original music, dance and English translations of the original Punjabi poetry. Heer – The Awakening of Love is a bilingual musical production that reimagines Heer by Waris Shah, the timeless Punjabi Qissa (fable) often hailed as Punjab’s own Romeo and Juliet . Waris Shah, likened to Shakespeare, and celebrated for his lyrical brilliance and innovative command of language, infuses the tale with wit, depth, and a fearless critique of class, caste, and patriarchy—exposing the hypocrisies of social institutions in a manner reminiscent of Samuel Butler’s dismantling of Victorian society. In this production, verses from the original Punjabi text are sung as lyrical commentary, while the actors’ English dialogue—drawn from Sarbpreet Singh’s poetic translation—evokes the spirit and cadence of Waris Shah’s masterpiece. Enhanced by original music and dances inspired by both folk and classical Indian traditions, the work revitalizes this monumental Sufi love story for a new generation.

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