Umrao Jaan

I saw it again, after 25 years! I think it is one of the best movies (Indian or otherwise), at par with any famed-Satyajit Ray. It should NOT be even compared with the new Umrao Jaan. The problem is that it is so good that Muzaffar Ali (the producer from Lucknow where most of the movie unfolds) perhaps cannot make a better movie all his life.

The film is very restrained, and therefore, a believable story of a Lucknow tawa-if (courtesan, geisha). There are no brave heroes (all flee 1857 Sepoy Mutiny against the English), the robber Faiz Ali dies in an unheroic escape. Owner of house of tawaifs, Madam Khanum, is selfish and exploitative. Nawab Sultan, one of the first clients of Umrao, sees Umarao what she is - a tawaif and abandons her with no compunctions to marry into the wealthy family of her cousin; others hurl insults at Umrao. There is a thin line (if any) between a tawaif and a prostitute/hooker - Umrao sleeps with Nawab Sultan as a matter of routine, and then with the robber Faiz Ali.

Urdu poetry (ghazal) is shown to be pervasive in the lives of tawaifs and all around her. The dialogs are in lyrical, delicate and local Urdu, difficult to be appreciated in translation. Acting is superb by all. Songs and Indian Kathak dances (minus one by Nawab Sultan) are mostly in context.

Good movies like good books can enrich and teach. Most Indian movies are trash, fantastic escape from reality but not old Umrao Jaan. You could see Lucknow of a bygone era. Sample these:

• pigeon flight contests (or kabootar baazi, a flock breaking pigeons mid flight from a rival flock) - Indian hop scotch (ikkal dukkal) - the earthen stove (or choolha) - the custom of eating with hands in the kitchen on the floor near choolha - the custom of offering for a saint's shrine (nazar at durgaah) - the custom of arranged marriage between Muslim cousins - the custom of purdah, - the custom of eating betel leaf (or paans) and hookah smoking - the tradition of sellers of bangles and shawls coming home - the incompetent and indolent nawabs who would sell part of the estate for a courtesan

See it if you have not yet; see it again if you have once. Technically, the photography is not as high quality as now - but then in 25 years movie cameras have improved a lot.

Muzaffar Ali's Umrao Jaan is a work of great mastery. Ali adopts Mirza Hadi Ruswa's novel and does it skillfully. Telling the story of Amiran, who was kidnapped as a young girl and sold in brothel in Lahore to become a renowned courtesan and poetess, Umrao Jaan is what people call an art film, and it is a very good art film at that. The film is, indeed, benefitted by a stark atmosphere of authenticity, and coupled with its poignant and heartbreaking story, as well as its poetic tone, keeps engaging the audience as they feel for the heroine as the proceedings unfold. And if that is not enough, it is a true visual treat, boasting of extraordinary sets and costumes and providing a fascinating glimpse into the ancient years and places where the story is supposed to take place. Ali's direction is excellent, and he manages to make it much more than just a costume drama. The cinematic quality of this film in both writing, production values and aesthetics cannot be doubted, but the film actually has soul.

But Umrao Jaan, both the film and the character, will always be remembered for one reason. It is Rekha who creates, understands, inhabits and immortalises Umrao Jaan, breathing life, passion, soul and mountainous strength into her troubled character. In a subtle and heartbreaking performance, she conveys much of her loneliness and yearning through her hauntingly expressive eyes, refined dialogue delivery and extraordinary depth, and sometimes merely through just her nonverbal, electrifying presence. Her Umrao is relatable and mysterious at the same time, and is just fascinating altogether. Few scenes can compare to those in which she poignantly recites her poetry; or desperately tears away her past lover's shirt when he invites her to his wedding; or reacts to the long-awaited encounter with her mother and brother; and the one in which she finally accepts her fate. Her superb dance numbers are very much a part of her soulful performance because through them one can see Umrao's entire essence and inner feelings, and in them she actually finds solace and a way to cry her heart out.

Speaking of the music, this is one of those films where the songs are not just pastime but an integral part of the story in that they convey a whole range of emotions that the character goes through and help forward its story. Asha Bhosle's divine, sharp and sensual voice is surely one of the film's trumpcards, and without her soulful, highly-skilled renditions, this film would not have been complete. Her singing and Rekha's acting complement each other in a true example of superb playback singing. To sum it up, Umrao Jaan is a difficult story and a poignant film of unmatched excellence and artistry. Its many great advantages notwithstanding, it is Rekha's devastating portrayal which tugs at the heartstrings and resonates in mind after the film is over. This is one of the best performances by an Indian actress, and well, her name will obviously always come first to mind the moment Umrao Jaan is mentioned.

Though 'Umrao Jaan' has been re-brought to screen just last year. Muzaffar Ali's adaptation of Mirza Hadi Ruswa's novel remains the most memorable. Ali does not exaggerate with lavish set designs and his adaptation is of a rather lower budget. He gracefully shows us Umrao mastering the art of poetry and dance. The songs are beautiful and poetry is itself a character in Umrao's life, like a traveling companion. In some of the songs we are shown flashes of old elegant paintings, old fashioned settings and what Lucknow may have looked like. takes us back in time to what the late 1800s may have resembled.

The performances are subtle except of Khanum Jaan's character. Muzaffar really Farooq Sheikh is brilliant as the young naïve prince and Nasseeruddin Shah is superb as Gohar Mirza. Shaukat Kaifi and Dina Pathak are adequate. Prema Narayan is decent.

However, Umrao Jaan clearly belongs to Rekha. With subtlety and grace she underplays her part. There is no melodrama or unnecessary loudness and this allows us to really feel for Umrao. We see that Ramdei, who was kidnapped like her but sold to slavery, has now become a happy wife of a Nawab. We see her friend and fellow dancer Bismillah finding happiness in her life. Finally we see Umrao moving along the path of life: trying to forget the past, trying to find happiness and love or trying to escape from it all. She manages to independently make a living reciting poetry, ghazals and dancing but though people yearn to hear her sing and watch her dance, they refuse to give her the respect of a 'decent' woman. As we see Umrao travelling through life trying to find her own place, in the end she returns to that very place (now abandoned) picking up from where she left as she has no place else to go. She looks in the mirror that reflects her destiny

For many in India, this is a film famous for its haunting songs. To some, it was a film that brought an average, good-looking actress a dream role that fetched her a national best actress award.

"Umrao Jaan" did not create ripples among most critics when it was made because the story line revolving around a singer/dancer who sells her body was old hat for most Hindi/Urdu film-goers.

What made "Umrao Jaan" stand out? It was the director Muzaffar Ali's flash-in-the-pan directorial effort. His earlier film "Gaman" lends poor comparison to "Umrao Jaan." Ali was able to get superb performances from the ensemble of Bollywood actresses to whom subtlety is still a foreign concept. Rekha is quite restrained (wish she were more), so is Prema Narayan in this film. The effect is stunning. Some of the Indian actors could do so well, if only they were well directed!

But good direction does not come merely in dealing with actors. Each and every shot of cameraman Pravin Bhatt could have been mistaken for the work of Sven Nykvist in the early Bergman movies. The composition of each frame, taking three objects in perspective (faces, chandeliers, minarets, etc..) and juggling with the one, two, or three objects for composition within the frame brought a maturity to Indian cinematography rarely seen. This is a film to be enjoyed by sight and sound--not merely at the level of the story. This is probably why twenty years after it was made the film attracts audiences as it did before. It has stood the test of time. It was unfortunate that Indian critics by and large grouped it with commercial cinema churned out from Mumbai merely because of its song and dance component and its all too familiar theme for Indian audiences.

The screenplay was well written and mature in comparison to most Urdu/Hindi films. Melodrama was reigned in, yet music and song held sway. The melancholic thread in the film is developed right up to the dried leaves in the final scenes knitting together a very feminist tragedy by a male director. In many respects, this film was a major movie from India in the Eighties, on par with the efforts of some of the more notable directors like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

For Ali, this was his swansong--he never made a film that flashed his brilliance after this effort. Probably he knew he could not improve upon this effort....

Review By Kamal K

Ultimate creation of Muzzafar Ali Saheb. Fantastic picturization of lucknow during 1840s. Composition of Khayyam Saheb along with lyrics of shehayar makes this movie unforgettable.....we are very fortunate that we are having such kind of film in our bollywood bucket.