Shooting of 'Waris Shah' would begin this week in the border state of Punjab. The lyrics for the film, being directed by Manoj Punj, have been written by Gurdas Mann while the music has been composed by Jaidev Kumar.

Locations like old forts and other ruins around Ropar, Chandigarh and Patiala have been identified, while the production unit was already involved in recreating a township with the ''medieval period look'' for the shooting at village Shambhu Sarai, which also has a 400-year-old fort, she said.

''Love was in the veins of Waris Shah and he preached love in the form of poetry to the world,'' said Manjeet Mann, adding that Punjabi literature and folklore huge potential to be screened commercially as well.

''Syed Waris Shah's verse is a treasure-trove of Punjabi phrases, idioms and sayings. His minute and realistic depiction of each detail of Punjabi life and the political situation in the 1700s remains unique,'' she said.

'Heer'(or The Romance of Heer-Ranjha), written in 1766 by Waris Shah, has been his most popular work which made its place in the history of Punjabi literature. This work is believed to be the true account of two star-crossed lovers, who lived during the 16th century. It is also said that Waris Shah sublimated his own unrequited love for a girl (Bhag Bhari) in writing the romance. ''The revival of Punjabi films is already on a threshold,'' she said, while admitting that the production of Punjabi films had been a draining experience financially.

'But money is not everything and we will continue investing whatever little we earn from the previous Punjabi films,'' she said.