{ "id": "epvvs0zmr6", "slug": "waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris", "title": "Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.films-in-other-indian-languages", "label": "Films in other Indian languages", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.films-in-other-indian-languages" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.films-in-other-indian-languages", "label": "India · 2001 to 2020: Films in other Indian languages", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.films-in-other-indian-languages", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001", "label": "India · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.films-in-other-indian-languages", "label": "Films in other Indian languages", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.films-in-other-indian-languages" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris is a 2006 Indian Punjabi historical drama directed by Manoj Punj, starring Gurdas Maan as the poet Waris Shah and Juhi Chawla as Bhag Bhari; it won Best Feature Film in Punjabi at the 54th National Film Awards.", "snippet": "Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris is a 2006 Indian Punjabi historical drama directed by Manoj Punj, starring Gurdas Maan as the poet Waris Shah and Juhi Chawla as Bhag Bhari; it won Best Feature Film in Punjabi at the 54th National Film Awards.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.films-in-other-indian-languages", "markdown": "# Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris\n\n**Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris** (Punjabi for \"Waris Shah, Heir of Love\") is a 2006 Indian Punjabi-language historical drama film directed by Manoj Punj, written by Suraj Sanim, and starring the singer-actor [Gurdas Maan](https://www.edgepedia.org/gurdas-maan) as the eighteenth-century Punjabi Sufi poet [Waris Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/waris-shah)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/). The film dramatizes the period in the poet's life when he composed *Heer*, his verse retelling of the [Heer Ranjha](https://www.edgepedia.org/heer-ranjha) legend, and links that work to an unfulfilled love of his own[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/waris_shah). At the 54th National Film Awards it was named Best Feature Film in Punjabi and also won awards for playback singing and costume design[3](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/48_54sthNfaArchives.pdf) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/awards/).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Film | 2006 Indian Punjabi-language historical drama, 138 minutes (2h 18m)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/) |\n| Director / writer / producer | Manoj Punj (director), Suraj Sanim (writer), Manjeet Maan for Sai Productions[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/) |\n| Lead cast | Gurdas Maan as Waris Shah, Juhi Chawla as Bhag Bhari, Divya Dutta as Saabo, Sushant Singh as Inayat[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris) |\n| Music | Composed by Jaidev Kumar; lyrics by Gurdas Maan; playback singers Alka Yagnik, Krishna, and Gurdas Maan[6](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/waaris-shah-ishq-da-waaris/cast/) |\n| National Film Awards | Best Feature Film in Punjabi (Rajat Kamal and Rs 100,000 each to producer and director); Silver Lotus for Best Playback Singer (Male) and Best Costume Designer[3](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/48_54sthNfaArchives.pdf) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/awards/) |\n| Commercial figures | Budget ₹50 million (₹5 crores) and revenue ₹70 million (₹7 crores) per one listing; IMDb reports a worldwide gross of $92,672[7](https://cinetown.org/mv/pollywood/1400) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/) |\n| Historical subject | Syed Waris Shah (1722–1798), born in Jandiala Sher Khan, Sheikhupura district, Punjab, now in Pakistan; completed *Heer* in 1766[8](https://www.dawn.com/news/1031949) • [9](https://www.cinemaclock.com/movies/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris-2006) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and setting\n\nThe story is set at a time when the Mughal emperor [Aurangzeb](https://www.edgepedia.org/aurangzeb) banned music in India because he believed it turned people away from God, forcing musicians to practice in secrecy[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/). In the film, Baba Makhdum asks Waris Shah to move to a village, where he begins work on a poem inspired by his own emotions[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flNGJFJITEY).\n\nThe [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards) synopsis describes the central romance: Waris Shah, a disciple of Peer Makhdoom of Kasur, loves Bhagpari, the village headman's daughter, and the film concerns his unrequited love. Facing all-out opposition, the two are tested by fire; the local arbiter orders them to walk on burning coals, on the reasoning that blisters would prove their love carnal and unmarked feet would prove it pure. Both pass, but Bhagpari is married to Inayat. Sabbo, a woman obsessed with Waris Shah, fails to win him and burns his most celebrated work, *Heer*[3](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/48_54sthNfaArchives.pdf). A viewer summary on Rotten Tomatoes describes the same arc: the poet realizes the woman loves him but is bound to her marriage, and he chooses not to pursue it further[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/waris_shah).\n\n## Cast and production\n\nGurdas Maan, a prominent Punjabi singer, plays Waris Shah and also wrote the film's lyrics; a contemporary report described the project as his fourth major Punjabi production, after *Shaheed-e-Mohabbat*, *Des Hoya Pardes*, and *Zindagi Khubsurat Hai*[11](https://santabanta.com/cinema/bollywood/titbits/juhi-in-waris-shah-with-gurdas-mann-9330/). [Juhi Chawla](https://www.edgepedia.org/juhi-chawla) plays the beloved, listed as Bhagh Bhari or Bhagpari depending on the source, [Divya Dutta](https://www.edgepedia.org/divya-dutta) plays Saabo, and Sushant Singh plays Inayat, Bhagpari's husband[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris) • [3](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/48_54sthNfaArchives.pdf). [Mukesh Rishi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mukesh-rishi) appears as Muin-Ud-Din Makhdoom, the poet's teacher[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris).\n\nShooting took place in Punjab, with old forts and ruins around Ropar, Chandigarh, and Patiala identified as locations, and a township with a medieval-period look built for the shoot at village Shambhu Sarai, which has a 400-year-old fort[11](https://santabanta.com/cinema/bollywood/titbits/juhi-in-waris-shah-with-gurdas-mann-9330/). A reviewer also credited an impressive set constructed at Rampur Kalan near [Chandigarh](https://www.edgepedia.org/chandigarh)[12](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/114873/waris.shah.-.ishq.daa.waaris-review).\n\nRelease dates differ across listings: Bollywood Hungama gives 1 January 2006[6](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/waaris-shah-ishq-da-waaris/cast/), FilmFlow gives 6 October 2006[13](https://filmflow.tv/movie/136358-waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris), IMDb lists 6 October 2006 for the United Kingdom[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/), and Cinetown gives 3 November 2006[7](https://cinetown.org/mv/pollywood/1400). In August 2006 the Punjab government exempted the film from entertainment tax, with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh citing his government's commitment to promoting Punjabi folk, art, and culture[14](https://www.oneindia.com/2006/08/25/punjab-exempts-entertainment-tax-on-waris-shah-1156516470.html).\n\n## Awards\n\nAt the 54th National Film Awards, honoring films of 2006, *Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris* won Best Feature Film in Punjabi. The citation praised its \"evocative portrayal of the rich, musical Sufi tradition,\" and Rajat Kamal awards with cash prizes of Rs 100,000 each went to producer Sai Productions and to director Manoj Punj, listed posthumously as late[3](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/48_54sthNfaArchives.pdf). IMDb records two further Silver Lotus Award wins at the same ceremony: Best Playback Singer (Male) for Gurdas Maan and Best Costume Designer for Manjeet Maan[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/awards/).\n\n## The historical Waris Shah and the film's relation to history\n\nThe film's subject, Syed Waris Shah, lived from 1722 to 1798 and was born in Jandiala Sher Khan in Sheikhupura district of Punjab, now in Pakistan[8](https://www.dawn.com/news/1031949) • [9](https://www.cinemaclock.com/movies/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris-2006). His *Heer*, completed in 1766 in a village mosque near Sahiwal, is regarded as a classic of Punjabi literature; he built on earlier tellings of the Heer Ranjha story by poets including Damodar Gulati, and his version placed the lovers' conflict against the whole social and institutional order of rural Punjab[8](https://www.dawn.com/news/1031949) • [15](https://dialog.puchd.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/14.-Waris-Shahs-Heer-as-the-Meme-of-Punjabiyat-and-Punjabi-Identity.pdf).\n\nThe film takes liberties with this record. A University of Illinois exhibit notes that it focuses on the period when Waris Shah was writing *Hir*, with many details invented for cinematic effect, since much of the poet's life is unknown; the beloved Bhag Bhaari may or may not have existed, and no proof of her has been found, but she features in screen adaptations to create a parallel between the poet's life and his work[16](https://www.cwlrel208.web.illinois.edu/exhibits/show/south-asian-pre-modern-poetry-/waris-shah). A Guardian reviewer similarly observed that the film covers a slice of Waris Shah's life rather than a full biography[12](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/114873/waris.shah.-.ishq.daa.waaris-review).\n\n## Reception and availability\n\nAudience response has been favorable. IMDb shows a rating of 7.7/10 from about 272 votes[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/), and the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter stands at 81% from more than 250 ratings, with no professional critic reviews counted[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/waris_shah). Reviewers singled out the music, with Jaidev Kumar's songs such as \"Allah Hoo,\" \"Yeh Imitihane Ishq Hai,\" and \"Khaas Shamma Ajj\" praised, and the visual treatment of fire, night silhouettes against water, and Manjeet Maan's costumes[12](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/114873/waris.shah.-.ishq.daa.waaris-review).\n\nIn India the film streams on Amazon Prime Video, the Chaupal Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and the Ultraplaybox Amazon Channel[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris (2006), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/)\n2. [Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/waris_shah)\n3. [54th National Film Awards archives, Directorate of Film Festivals, India](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/48_54sthNfaArchives.pdf)\n4. [Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris (2006) - Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892113/awards/)\n5. [Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris)\n6. [Waaris Shah Ishq Da Waaris cast and crew, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/waaris-shah-ishq-da-waaris/cast/)\n7. [Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris, Cinetown](https://cinetown.org/mv/pollywood/1400)\n8. [Waris Shah: the immortal voice of the people! - Part 1, Dawn](https://www.dawn.com/news/1031949)\n9. [Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris [2006], CinemaClock](https://www.cinemaclock.com/movies/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris-2006)\n10. [WARIS SHAH - Ishq Daa Waaris, National Award Winning Film, YouTube (Ultra Movie World)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flNGJFJITEY)\n11. [Juhi in 'Waris Shah' with Gurdas Mann, SantaBanta](https://santabanta.com/cinema/bollywood/titbits/juhi-in-waris-shah-with-gurdas-mann-9330/)\n12. [Waris Shah - Ishq Daa Waaris, The Guardian film reviews](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/114873/waris.shah.-.ishq.daa.waaris-review)\n13. [Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris (2006), FilmFlow.tv](https://filmflow.tv/movie/136358-waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris)\n14. [Punjab exempts entertainment tax on Waris Shah, Oneindia](https://www.oneindia.com/2006/08/25/punjab-exempts-entertainment-tax-on-waris-shah-1156516470.html)\n15. [Waris Shah's Heer as the Meme of Punjabiyat and Punjabi Identity, Dialog (Panjab University)](https://dialog.puchd.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/14.-Waris-Shahs-Heer-as-the-Meme-of-Punjabiyat-and-Punjabi-Identity.pdf)\n16. [Waris Shah, Pre-Modern Poetry exhibit, Cultures & Literatures of South Asia, University of Illinois](https://www.cwlrel208.web.illinois.edu/exhibits/show/south-asian-pre-modern-poetry-/waris-shah)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Films in other Indian languages*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris](https://www.edgepedia.org/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris](https://www.edgepedia.org/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/waris-shah-ishq-daa-waaris. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris is a 2006 Indian Punjabi historical drama directed by Manoj Punj, starring Gurdas Maan as the poet Waris Shah and Juhi Chawla as Bhag Bhari; it won Best Feature Film in Punjabi at the 54th National Film Awards." }