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Sassi (1954)

Zeenat and Sabiha Khanum in Sassi (1954)

Produced in 1954, Sassi – a love legend from Balochistan and Sindh – was a big budget movie and was filmed around the most picturesque areas of the country. Sabiha was cast in the title role, as the daughter of the chief of the washermen’s clan of Sindh, and as such got individual credit in the title role. The remaining cast, including Sudhir who played Punhu, was mentioned as a group slide. Shahnawaz, Ghulam Mohammed, Nazar, and Asha Posley played their roles adequately. Under the direction of Daud Chand, the camera work shows a lot of movement, very long panning of the king’s court, and crane shots at the dhobi ghats, i.e, washermen’s ponds. In places an effort has been made to create surrealistic scenes, but due to the drabness of the props, and a lack of imagination because of which the entire scene is filmed in a single flat shot, the effect is not achieved. The film producer also desired to include the plagiarized version of a popular Indian song by Hemant Kumar Na ye chand hoga na tare rahain gey, magar hum humaish tumhari rahain ge. The movie got a clean bill from the censor. Sassi was a great commercial hit by J.C. Anand and created an all time record for being the first golden jubilee film of Pakistan.

Sassi was based on the famous folk legend of Sassi Punhu mentioned below.

The Story of Sassi Punhu

Of all the folk legends, Sassi Punhu is the most widely known tragic tale of love, adopted as the theme of their poetic works by different sages of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The story though simple and fairly commonplace is narrated with a host of both complex and abstract events that give varied expression and meanings to its generic contents.

It begins like some stories of the Torah and Rigveda when a superstitious king of Bhambhore is alarmed by the mishaps that befall him at the birth of his first child, a baby girl. To ward off the misfortune predicted by his astrologer, pundit, and mullah, he puts the newborn in a box full of jewels and ornaments and floats it down a river. The river, the life force, finds a secure abode for the child and safely hands her over to the custody of a washerman. The baby, disowned by her father, brings good luck to the poor childless man. She is pampered and brought up with love and affection. She grows up to become a beautiful young woman. But the girl becomes restless as if waiting for someone-perhaps a Prince Charming. Her longing takes the shape of a face she sees in a portrait put on show by an artist in the market-place. The portrait is that of Punhu, prince of Mekran. The painter is stunned to see Sassi and her fascination for the painting. He refuses to sell the painting even when Sassi offers him his asking price. The painter then helps to fulfil the lovers’ tryst with destiny by going to Punhu and telling him about the beauteous admirer of his painting. The besotted prince pronounces that it must be Sassi. The fire of eternal love has equally inflamed him. Soon he finds his way to Sassi’s land which is located in enemy territory. Sassi and Punhu meet and fall in love without exchanging a word as if they had known each other from eternity. Punhu poses as a washerman and wins the confidence of Sassi’s father. Their marriage is solemnized after some minor bickering.

Now the king of Mekran comes to know about his son’s marriage to an ordinary girl. He summons his other sons and orders them to bring Punhu back to Mekran. The entourage reaches Bhambhore and manages to drug the lovers with a sleeping potion. They kidnap Punhu and rush to Mekran on fast moving camels. Sassi wakes up and soon realizes the fate of her love. In spite of warnings and misgivings she embarks on a journey all by herself in search of her Punhu. Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, the most renowned mystic poet of Sindh, ascribed five surs (versified chapters) to Sassi’s wanderings in the desert of life. For Bhitai, true love transcends the barrier between Creator and creation and the search for the beloved is an eternal thirst that cannot be quenched, but is further exacerbated after meeting the loved one.

During her sojourn in the wilderness of the desert of Uthal, Sassi encounters a shepherd who is a predator and a lecher in contrast to the painter-the love harnesser. The man promises to lead her to Punhu, but instead tries to molest her. Like all great love legends, this one also ends in cataclysmic grief. The earth erupts like a mother goddess and takes Sassi into its embrace, to save her from the treachery of the evil-monger. Punhu reaches there, but is too late. The shepherd repents and tells Sassi’s tale of woe. The separation of true lovers is now unbearable for mother nature as well. The earth unfolds its arms and again offers an eternal abode to Punhu in the company of his love, Sassi – Mushtaq Gazdar

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1954, Genre – Legendary, Country – Pakistan, Language – Urdu, Producer – J.C. Anand, Director – Daud Chand, Music Director – G.A. Chisthi, Cast – Sabiha Khanum, Sudhir, Asha Posley, Shahnawaz, Ghulam Mohammed, Zeenat and Nazar

Historical