Umrao Jaan

Muzaffar Ali made the classic "Umrao Jaan" in 1981 starring Rekha, Farooq Sheikh, Naseeruddin Shah, and Raj Babbar. Compared to that, this one is entirely unwatchable.

The screenplay is terrible and barely maintains the viewer's interest for the first hour. Only towards the end is there any noticeable flow to the story. Casting is fine, but Sunil Shetty does not fit the bill of Faiz Ali.

The language of Lucknow is Urdu, and, unlike what some other commentators claim, the movie does not employ a correct version of the language. The dialect used by some characters is also incorrect. Dialogues are horrible, and Aishwarya's pronunciation of Urdu words is absolutely revolting. Umrao Jaan was an Urdu poetess, and Aishwarya does not do her justice. The playback singers, however, are excellent, especially Alka Yagnik.

Being a native of Lucknow, I know that we do not use "Baisa", "Mausa", "Apshagun", "Maan maryada" etc, especially among Muslim families, to which all the movie's characters belong. Yet, JP Dutta pays no attention to these important details, and the characters continue to use these and other wrong terms.

The characters' wardrobe is not comparable to period Lucknow or to Muzaffar Ali's version of the movie, despite Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla's involvement.

JP Dutta's Umrao Jaan is a low budget pretender of a movie, with Aishwarya's looks being the only redeeming factor.

Stay away from this film. Watch Muzaffar Ali's original version, if you can. That was a pleasure to watch.

2/10.

Overall its a good movie especially if you enjoy watching old classics again. The first half of the movie was very disappointing. The acting was not up to the par and dialog didn't flow smoothly. Too many songs and some of the conversations were little too long. They could have easily edited those long scenes to make it shorter and more appealing. The second half was great ! The story line picks up, there is more going on than just lovey dubbey conversations and songs between Umaro and Nawab as was the case in the first half. I think Aish acted really well and as always she looked great with those costumes, jewelery and expressive eyes.

I feel the movie requires a closer look. Superficially the scenes mite come out dry but look closer and you will see the reality that is staring you in your face. there is not adulteration of scenes by strong music.. just the raw reality.. Some of the scenes which seem shallow ..that is what it would be like in reality... it is slowly after the build up that the story starts to unfold... Aishwarya has pulled off the role of Umrao exceptionally well. The lyrics touch your heart with songs like "Pooch rahe hain".

Shabana Azmi has played every emotion with such authenticity.. she comes out as a mother, a shrewd woman.. protecting her sanctuary... Aishwarya has repeated her excellent performance of Raincoat here. Kudos to J.P. Dutta

J. P. Dutta directs Umrao Jaan, the second film adaptation of Mirza Hadi Ruswa's 1905 novel "Umrao Jaan Ada", which tells the story of the famous Lucknow courtesan. Although Dutta claimed to have based the film on the novel, it is clearly more a remake of the 1981 film version, directed by Muzaffar Ali and starring Rekha. The 1981 film was lavish, powerful and beautiful and is a famous musical classic. Rekha's heartfelt performance as Umrao Jaan remains till date one of the finest performances of not only her career but of Indian cinema in general. So obviously one would go on to compare the two versions, and needless to say, the 1981 film is and will always be associated with this title. This new version is not very bad. It is pleasing to the eye, it has some nice songs, great costumes, and Aishwarya Rai looks impossibly beautiful. However, the film is lacking in substance, in emotion and it lacks the power to excite.

In comparison to Rekha, Aishwarya Rai is frankly more of an amateur (and I'm not one of those who hate her). Rekha's line delivery, her non-verbal emotions, her pain, her expressive eyes being occasionally filled with tears, and above all her dance numbers which are some of the most memorable in the history of Indian films, were so soulful. Aishwarya, though stunning in looks and evidently trying to do her best, simply does not have the ability to recreate this magic. She does have her moments, but that's as far as it goes and it is hardly a good performance. Her dance numbers, however, are exceptional. Anu Malik's soundtrack is good and the great Alka Yagnik sings the songs beautifully. One shouldn't compare them to Khayyam's unforgettable songs performed to perfection by Asha Bhosle in the original version; the songs are wildly different.

Another much talked about role in the film is that of Khanum Jaan, played by Shabana Azmi. Azmi plays a role her own mother, Shaukat Azmi, played in the original version. She seems to have a lot of fun with the minimal job her character lets her do and surprisingly does not really take her role seriously, as she rightly admitted in an interview. That's okay, even accomplished actors like Azmi are allowed to have fun, and that's what actually makes her portrayal the more so entertaining. As for Abhishek Bachchan, the less said about him, the better. Even on its own, Umrao Jaan does not hold water. It is melodramatic, uninspiring and poorly directed. Aishwarya's presence and the film's visuals cannot save it from being just another unsuccessful and forgettable attempt to remake a classic.

I do not understand what was the need to re-make a classic without doing the home work. my second language was Urdu and it was so disturbing to hear the word Sangeet twice, at the start of the film, instead of Mouseeqi.

Aishwarya should have also taken diction classes for the language when she thought of brushing her dancing skills.

JP Dutta has come up with a utter disappointment for the lovers of Urdu language in form of Umrao Jaan. And wasn't the attraction between Umrao Jaan and Nawab Sultan based on their love of poetry. All I remember was one couplet. Phew!

We all know Aishwarya Rai was crowned Miss World....but isn't she an actor now? So she should leave her crown behind and practise her acting skills more. I mean she didn't even get the word Khuda right in the film. And what was about trying sound like Rekha when she and Abhishek were parting ways? Strange bouts of husky voice.

Argh!