Sohni Mahiwal (1984 film)

Sohni Mahiwal (Russian: Легенда о любви, romanized: Legenda o lyubvi) is a 1984 Indo-Soviet epic historical romance drama film based on the Punjabi folk of love and tragedy of the same name, directed by Umesh Mehra (India) and Latif Faiziev (Soviet Union). It stars Sunny Deol, Poonam Dhillon and Zeenat Aman in pivotal roles.^[2]

The film Sohni Mahiwal is a historical romance drama that retells the classic Punjabi folk tragedy. The story was a collaboration between Indian and Soviet filmmakers. The film captured the tragic essence of this legendary folk tale, portraying the depth of lead characters’ love and the societal pressures that led to their heartbreaking demise.

The story of the film was written by Javed Siddiqui, Shanti Prakash Bakshi and Oʻlmas Umarbekov. The music was scored by Anu Malik. The film was a commercial success with a net collection of ₹7.2 crore.^[1]

The story is set in Punjab, where a rich trader named Mirza Izzat Beg arrives with his caravan from Bukhara (Uzbekistan). He stops in a town located on the banks of the Chenab river where he meets Sohni, the beautiful daughter of a potter named Tulla. Sohni runs a shop where she sells her family's pottery. Izzat Beg is instantly smitten with her and, just to get a chance to see her, he buys pots and mugs from her every day. Sohni is also attracted to him, and their love begins to blossom. To stay close to her, Izzat Beg decides to stay behind and not return to Bukhara with his caravan. He takes on the job of a servant in Tulla's house, herding their buffaloes, and soon earns the nickname – Mahiwal, which means buffalo herder.

Their love becomes a scandal in the community, as it's unacceptable for a girl from the potter community to be with an outsider. To end the relationship, Sohni's parents quickly arrange her marriage to another potter. Distraught and helpless, Sohni is forcefully married off and sent to her husband's home. Mahiwal becomes a hermit and finds a small hut on the other side of the Chenab river, across from Sohni's new home.

Despite the physical separation, their love endures. Every night, under the cover of darkness, Mahiwal comes to the riverside. Sohni, using a Ghada (hard-baked earthenware pot) for flotation, swims across the treacherous river to meet him. Their secret rendezvous are filled with love and devotion. It is said that once, when Mahiwal couldn't catch a fish for Sohni, he cut a piece of flesh from his own thigh to roast for her. When Sohni discovered this, her love for him grew even stronger.

The whispers of their clandestine meetings eventually reach Sohni's family. Her evil sister-in-law follows her and discovers where Sohni hides her earthenware pot. Filled with malice and a desire to end the affair, the sister-in-law replaces the hard-baked ghada with an unbaked one, which looks identical. The next night, Sohni, unaware of the trap, uses the unbaked ghada to cross the river. The Ghada dissolves in the water, and Sohni begins to drown. From the other side of the river, Mahiwal sees her in distress and jumps in to save her. The strong currents of the Chenab river claim both their lives, and the lovers are reunited in death.

• Sunny Deol as Mirza Izzat Beg / Mahiwal – Sohni’s boyfriend
• Poonam Dhillon as Sohni – Mahiwal’s girlfriend
• Zeenat Aman as Zarina
• Tanuja as Sohni's Mother
• Pran as Tulla – Sohni's father
• Mehar Mittal
• Farida Dadi
• Samad
• Frunzik Mkrtchyan as Razboynik Barmandu – Warrior
• Zakir Mukhamedzhanov as Ismailbek
• Kumaroua
• Tamar Hovhannisyan as Izzat Beg’s mother
• Gulchekhra Dzhamilova as Malkani
• Natalya Krachkovskaya as the woman in Izzat Beg’s caravan
• Gulshan Grover as Noor
• Rakesh Bedi as Salamat
• Shammi Kapoor (special appearance) as Peer Baba
• Mazhar Khan (special appearance) as Rashid
• Uchkun Rakhmanov as Man in the caravan
• Sanat Divanov as Bodyguard
• Zulkhumor Muminova as Salamati
• Nabi Rahimov as Bashi
• Mashrab Kimsanov
• Matyoqub Matchanov
• Isamat Ergashev as Djardu
• Yuri Sarantsev

The background score of the movie was done by Vladimir Milov.

The music for the film's songs was composed by Anu Malik and the lyrics of the songs were penned by Anand Bakshi.

It was a successful soundtrack which received critical acclaim. It earned Malik, his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director and Bakshi received a nomination for penning the lyrics of "Sohni Chenab De Kinare". Anupama Deshpande won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song.

32nd Filmfare Awards:

Won

• Best Female Playback Singer – Anupama Deshpande for "Sohni Chenab De"
• Best Editing – M. S. Shinde
• Best Sound Design – Brahmanand Sharma

Nominated

• Best Music Director – Anu Malik
• Best Lyricist – Anand Bakshi for "Sohni Chenab De"

Other Indo-Soviet films:

• Alibaba aur 40 Chor
• Ajooba

• Sohni Mahiwal at IMDb