How Mintu Gurusaria’s Books Took Two Different Routes to Punjabi Cinema

One book gave a Punjabi film its name; another reached the screen under a different one. That is the cleanest way to understand Mintu Gurusaria’s connection to Dakuaan Da Munda and Zindagi Zindabaad: two films tied to the same writer, but built from separate source books rather than one story recycled under a second title.

The relationship can easily blur because both films have been discussed through Gurusaria’s life and writing. The Tribune reported in October 2023 that Dakuaan Da Munda had been made from one of his books, while Zindagi Zindabaad was based on Soolan. That distinction turns the pair into an adaptation map, not a single continuous screen narrative.

The report identified three Punjabi books by Gurusaria: Dakuaan Da Munda, Soolan and Zindagi De Ashiq. Of those, the first two provide the documented routes into these films. The shared author gives the projects a connection, but their different titles and source texts keep their identities separate.

Dakuaan Da Munda kept the book’s identity

The earlier screen route is the more immediately visible one because film and book share the title Dakuaan Da Munda. The Tribune’s account directly placed the movie among adaptations of Gurusaria’s writing. That is firmer and more useful than treating the film as merely inspired by a broad public biography.

It also sets an important limit. A documented book-to-film relationship does not make every dramatised scene a literal record. Cinema reshapes written material through performance, direction and screenplay, so the source connection can be stated without turning the completed film into documentary evidence about its author.

Zindagi Zindabaad began with Soolan

The second route changed the title. The Tribune reported that Zindagi Zindabaad was based on Soolan and was due for release on October 27, 2023. Punjabi Mania’s film page records that release date and names Prem Singh Sidhu as director.

The writing credits add another layer to the adaptation story. Punjabi Mania lists both Sidhu and Mintu Gurusaria as writers on Zindagi Zindabaad. The screen version therefore carries a direct credited connection to Gurusaria beyond the source-book relationship reported before release.

Those details make the later film more than a sequel-shaped echo of Dakuaan Da Munda. Its title, source book and credited screen collaboration are distinct. What joins the films is Gurusaria’s published work; what separates them is the particular text each production brought to cinema.

For readers returning to the two titles, the best route is to begin with the books: Dakuaan Da Munda for the namesake adaptation, and Soolan for Zindagi Zindabaad. Punjabi cinema returned to the same author’s world twice, but it did so through two clearly different doors.

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