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.

I watched it on the big screen as the film re-released today and 44 years later, the film stands out for it's making, dialogues, songs and ofcourse, the lead actress. It started off on a dramatic note but Muzaffar Ali had complete control over the script and the story comes alive at the entry of Rekha as Amiran urf Umrao. He captured the era beautifully and the film never deviates with it's subplots.

Rekha's performance when she meets Ram Dai in the second half and the lyrics of Justuju Jiski Thi, was fantastically portrayed. Even the scene where Umrao confronts Gohar Mirza stood out as the story moved towards the final act. The climax felt short due to the song but it was apt. Performances stand out with Rekh leading followed by Prema Narayan, Naseerudding Shah and Raj Babbar.

Muzaffar Ali's UMRAO JAAN was a classy, niche-audience oriented film. Rekha's performance, Khayyam's musical score and the authentic period details, thanks to the discerning filmmaker who is known for subtlety and class, make it a masterpiece. The true appreciation for the film is more than due at this very moment when the entire world is exposed to the crass and glossy remake of the film (or call it the adaptation of the same literary classic by Mirza Haadi Ruswa) by J. P. Dutta. Aishwarya Rai in the 2006 film pales in comparison to Rekha, who played the quintessential tawaaif in Muzaffar Ali's film with perfect poise and elan. Abhishek Bachchan is nothing compared to Farouque Shaikh, and the same can be said when one tries to draw parallels between Suniel Shetty and Raj Babbar, the counterparts in the new and the old films respectively.

Umrao Jaan(1981) is based on the novel - 'Umrao Jaan Ada' of Mirza Mohammad Haadi Ruswa. I happened to watch the movie first and read the novel later. And undoubtedly, director Muzaffar Ali's cinematic version of the story originally written in the nineteenth century and said to be the true story of a true character, is better than the written work.

The story belongs to the Tawaayaf(courtesan) Umrao Jaan who was born at Faizabaad as Ameeran. After getting kidnapped and sold to a Kotha(brothel) in Lucknow, she grows up and becomes famous among the rich and the elite because of her Shaayari(Urdu poetry) sung in her melodious voice and coupled with her enchanting dances. However she finds almost everybody around him as greedy for her earnings and she continue to move through her journey of life with a sense of complete loneliness within her. Certain males enter her life and raise false hopes in her heart for being able to live a normal married life containing a loving husband, social acceptance and motherhood but finally, she finds that loneliness only is her destiny.

Taking the story from the said novel, producer-director Muzaffar Ali himself has written the screenplay and dialogs of this movie in association with Shama Zaidi and Jaaved Siddiqui. This script has been written quite crisply without giving undue footage to anything and not allowing the focus to divert from the principal character and her woes. The narrative with the gloom and loneliness of the principal character prevalent in every moment of it, moves at a reasonable pace without allowing any laxity or boredom to creep in. The audience is not only kept engaged in the narrative and glued to the screen for more than two hours but also made to feel the pain, the feelings and the stuffiness of the pivotal character. It is a very impressive movie, no doubt.

The ending scene is just superb in which Umrao Jaan wipes the mirror to see her face in that. It's an example of sheer brilliance on the part of the filmmaker who conveys the permanent sense of loneliness in the courtesan to the audience leaving the theatre without any spoon-feeding. Anybody who has watched this movie on the big screen must have left the theatre with a throbbing in his / her heart.

Umrao Jaan can be termed as pain-filled poetry written on celluloid. It stirs, moves, pinches and brings tears to eyes. It's a journey made by the spectator alongwith the courtesan known as Umrao Jaan. Within a few minutes, the narrative envelops the viewer and makes him a part of the unusual story of the protagonist being told to him.

The art director has brought the period of the 19th century alive on the screen. The complete milieu including the architecture, the dialect, the clothes, the style of living etc. are authentic. The cinematographer has also left no stone unturned from his side in this regard and thus a realistic account of that era is presented to the audience who also happen to witness the turbulence due to the Gadar or the mutiny of 1857 by a section of the Indians against the British rule.

Rekha quite deservingly won the national award for the best actress for the title role played by her in this movie(though Jennifer Kendal Kapoor was a stronger contender for that award for that year for her performance in 36 Chowringhee Lane). Rekha does not seem to be acting, she appears to be actually living the life of Umrao Jaan. Originally a Tamilian, this talented actress has portrayed the Urdu speaking Shaayara cum Tawaayaf in an amazing manner.

Farooque Sheikh as Umrao Jaan's lover and all the other characters have also done exceedingly well. Even the small characters of Maulvi Saheb(Gajaanan Jaagirdaar) and Bismillah(Prema Naarayan) are able to leave their imprint in the movie. The romance between Farooque and Rekha is so delicate that the audience can't help falling in love with them and their relationship.

Khayyam has composed immortal music with the great Shaayari of Shaharyaar for this movie. All the ghazals and nazms are so touching that any lover of music and Shaayari can keep on listening to them again and again. Dil Cheez Kya Hai Aap Meri Jaan Leejiye, In Aankhon Ki Masti Ke Mastaane Hazaaron Hain, Zindagi Jab Bhi Teri Bazm Mein Laati Hai Hamen, Justujoo Jiski Thi Usko To Na Paaya Humne etc. are heart-conquerors. Most of these are gems in the voice of Asha Bhosle whereas Zindagi Jab Bhi Teri Bazm Mein Laati Hai Hamen is a memorable ghazal of Talat Aziz. The album contains a couple of folk songs also and a classic written by Amir Khusro. However the pain-soaked ghazal (which is placed at the end of the movie) which always brings a flood of tears in my eyes is - Ye Kya Jagah Hai Doston, Ye Kaun Sa Dayaar Hai, Hadd-e-Nigaah Tak Jahaan Gubaar Hi Gubaar Hai.

Umrao Jaan is a true classic. A masterpiece. It was remade by J.P. Dutta in 2006 by taking Aishwarya Rai in the title role. Though I found J.P. Dutta's movie as closer to the novel of Mirza Haadi Ruswa, it lacked the soul of the story. If anybody wants to meet the real Umrao Jaan that used to exist some 150 years ago, then this movie only is the perfect choice for him / her.

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.