Watch Mirza Sahibaan
Plays here via youtube-nocookie.com — nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.
The Story Behind Mirza Sahibaan
Arif Lohar brought the Punjabi folk tragedy of Mirza and Sahibaan to Coke Studio Pakistan's third season in 2010, with Rohail Hyatt producing the performance. The centuries-old qissa follows two lovers who flee family opposition, only for Sahibaan's attempt to prevent bloodshed to leave Mirza defenseless when her brothers arrive. Lohar turns that doomed romance into an extended, high-voltage folk narration. Across more than eight minutes, his forceful delivery keeps the tale moving while the arrangement gives its grief a hard, metallic edge. The recording preserves the scale of an oral ballad without treating it as a museum piece, connecting Lohar's popular folk style to Coke Studio's contemporary live setting.
Meaning & Translation
Mirza Sahibaan names the lovers at the heart of one of Punjab's great tragic romances. The song recounts their flight together against Sahibaan's family's wishes and the fatal choice that follows. Hoping to keep Mirza from killing her brothers, Sahibaan breaks his arrows while he sleeps. Her act of mercy leaves him unable to defend himself, and both lovers die. In this telling, romance and betrayal are not simple opposites: Sahibaan acts from love for Mirza and for her family, yet that compassion becomes the cause of catastrophe. The ballad mourns love caught between personal devotion, clan honor, and the wish to avoid bloodshed.
Details
- Artist
- Arif Lohar
- Category
- Coke Studio
- Collection
- Coke Studio Season 3
- Released
- 2010
- Language
- Punjabi
- Mood
- Heartbreak, Upbeat
- YouTube Views
- 1.28M
Artists & Credits
- Arif Lohar singer
- Arif Lohar composer
- Arif Lohar lyricist
- Arif Lohar musician
- Rohail Hyatt producer