No subtitles, unfortunately, but I think we all know this story well, because it’s been done so many times in Hindi and Urdu films – not only with this title, but with other titles. And a very nice plot summary can be found at All Things Pakistan. Also, Memsaab wrote an informative review (with some plot summary) of the 1957 version, which appears to follow the same story line (with only minor variations from the original tale).
I have posted the songs from this film a few times before, and as with other Noor Jehan classics, the songs alone make the film very worthwhile. Plus, Noor Jehan has a compelling screen presence here.
The All Things Pakistan post contains a fun paragraph about Sahiban’s gorgeousness:
Sahiban had grown into a beautiful young woman. Piloo, the poet, describes her beauty with the usual poetic exaggeration. He says, when Sahiban went shopping, the grocer would be so distracted by her beauty that he would place wrong weights in the weighing scale (tarakri), and that instead of oil she wanted he would pour honey for her. At another place the poet says, when Sahiban walked past the fields the farmers would stop plowing and would stand transfixed by her beauty.
Noor Jehan certainly is cute playing Sahiban, but I’m not sure that the description above completely applies to her when she’s silently walking or standing still. It definitely applies whenever she starts to sing.
I am going to watch this as soon as I have time….