'Ishq' is a word commonly used in the Muslim world to express passion and the most intense kind of love. In this case it is the title of the first Anglo Sufi musical, written by Mushfiq Murshed to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Pakistan's independence and celebrate the cultural fusion between this country and Britain.
Inspired to the Panjabi legend of Heer Ranjha, ISHQ narrates the story of a young couple, whose mutual passion is bound to kill them. Considered as the Romeo and Juliet of the East, Heer (Rasheeda Ali) and Ranjha (Ahsan Khan) meet accidentally when the charming boy is disowned by his family because of his insistent dedication to music.
Immediately falling in love with him, Heer convinces her wealthy father to hire him as a cowherd but the burning romance is uncovered when Heer's jealous uncle Kaido (Adnan Jaffar) reports the pair's affectionate encounters to the maiden's father. Opposed to the match, Heer's father removes the young man from his employment and rushes an arranged marriage between his daughter and another man.
