Main Characters Of Heer Ranjha Love Story

Heer

Heer, member of a wealthy Sial family, was a pampered and proud maiden and the protagonist of the story. Beloved of her parents, her childhood was spent in merriment and comfort. As a young woman, she caused a commotion everywhere. She had a face like the full moon, eyes that sparkled like valuable gems, teeth white like the petals of the jasmine flower and lips red like rubies, a nose sharp like the end of Hussain’s sword, tall like a graceful cypress tree. The kohl in her eyes was bare ferocity as might of the Punjab unleashed against the Mughals led Delhi darbar. She was delicate yet strong. 

Heer is an icon in the Punjab: symbol of a woman rising above class and clan. She demonstrates the woman’s right to choose. It isn’t just about her actions but also how she does it: by first attempting to work with, then defying the patriarchal institutions that subjugated the society then.

Ranjha

The hero of the story, Dheedo Ranjha, impressively handsome and of carefree nature, was the darling of his father and pride of the clan to the consternation of his elder brothers causing them heartburns. Though his older brothers, worked hard tilling their ancestral agricultural lands, Dheedo led a life of ease. He whiled away his time playing his flute through the streets of Takht Hazara. Trouble began when Dheedo’s father died, leaving his sons to divide up his land among them. The brothers resented Dheedo’s idle ways and thought him simpleton, so they gave him the barren land and their wives refused to give him food. Ranjha tried but failed to work his land, fought with his family and left his village to try his luck elsewhere.

Sehti

She was the unmarried sister of Saida Khairra who married the unwilling Heer. She was a grumpy and fierce woman. The role of the Gonrel in Shakespeare's play King Lear is very similar to her. Her tongue is more poisonous than a scorpion's sting. When talking, even Satan would seek refuge from her. She was second to none in teasing and adding insult to an injury. Although she seemed to be piercing and sharp, but inwardly her personal condition was even more painful. She was worried about the separation from her beloved Murad Baloch. Thanks to her profound love experience, she began to share Heer's grief. When Ranjha promised to help her meet Murad Baloch, she began to consider Ranjha as her mentor. In the role of Sehti, we understand that love can bring change even in people who are furious, fierce and ill-tempered.

Kaidu

The villain of the story is a person with an obvious physical defect of limping. He suffers from a severe sense of inferiority and cannot live in peace and tranquility like a normal human being. In his effort to divert people's attention from his physical deformity, he becomes the focus of other people's attention. In this way, he symbolizes a person who separates the two lovers by creating misunderstandings. Sometimes, he plays the role of a jilted lover who failed to win the love of a beautiful woman and takes revenge on the person she loves. In the story, he is Heer's uncle.

Saida Khairra

The role of the Saida Khairra is sadly pathetic. He is a middle-age villager. Had he not been a fool, he would have got married at a young age. He was very happy to have a beautiful bride like Heer, but this happiness did not last long. Heer pushed him out of the bridal chamber on the first night and never let him come close to her again.

Chuchak

Chuchak, Heer's father was a big landowner. Although he was a strong and intelligent man, yet he was also an opportunist by nature. When he finds an unpaid worker, he does him a favor and hires him. His opportunism grows to the point that even though he knows that Ranjha has an illicit affair with his daughter Heer, he still does not fire him until pressure mounts from the community and the village elders.

The popularity of Heer Ranjha's story in the Punjab folklore is unmatched by any other folk tale. This is not only a story but also a complete picture of Punjabi culture and society.