Gustakhiyan

Gustakhiyan is one of the upcoming movies of the biographical-drama genre. This new film’s story is set against the vibrant backdrop of the 1940s. It charts the tumultuous yet enduring relationship between Urdu poet-lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi and Punjabi writer Amrita Pritam. 

The story begins with a focal mushaira in 1944 near Lahore, where a reluctant, contemplative Sahir and vibrant, lively, Amrita share a first encounter not only silent but also electric. What starts as a silent admiration and curiosity develops into an important emotional and intellectual relationship lasting a shared forty years, complete with personal souvenirs of stale cigarettes, a half-drunk cup of tea, a constant barrage of letters and poems, and an shared creative flame.  

Their kinship withstands a separation in the wake of Partition. Amrita, who is now living in Delhi, is divorced and considered an emergence in Punjabi literature; meanwhile, Sahir is in Mumbai and forging a path as one of Bollywood’s shining lyricists. The public success of their artistic lives is overshadowed by their internal worlds of longing and artistic jealousy, as well as the persistent balancing act of authenticity in relation to their fame.

The plot’s narrative captures their love, not as a conventional romance but as an unresolved, stormy kinship marked by legal and ethical storms, with Amrita’s family objecting to cinematic dramatization of her life, a conflict rooted in respect for her personal legacy. This is one of the upcoming movie releases that has explored the tension between the public admiration between the nation’s socio-cultural backdrops.