Umrao Jaan (2006)

J.P. Dutta's adaption of the Urdu novel "Umrao Jan Ada" by Mirza Haadi Ruswa (1905).

Director:

J.P. Dutta

Writers:

J.P. Dutta (screenplay), O.P. Dutta (story)

Stars:

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Sunil Shetty

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan	...	Ameeran / Umrao Jaan (as Aishwariya Rai)
Shabana Azmi	...	Khanum Jaan
Sunil Shetty	...	Faiz Ali (as Suneil Shetty)
Abhishek Bachchan	...	Nawab Sultan
Bikram Saluja	...	Ashraf
Ayesha Jhulka	...	Khurshid Jaan
Puru Rajkumar	...	Gauhar Mirza (as Puru Raj Kumar)
Parikshat Sahni	...	Ameeran's father (as Parikshit Sahani)
Kulbhushan Kharbanda	...	Maulvi
Divya Dutta	...	Bismillah Jaan
Himani Shivpuri	...	Bua Hussaini
Maya Alagh	...	Ameeran's mother
Vishwajeet Pradhan	...	Dilawar Khan (as Viswajeet Pradhan)
Javed Khan	...	Pir Baksh
Anwar Madeem	...	Mirza Hadi Ruswa

Storyline

Ameeran lives a poor-lifestyle with her mom, dad, and brother, Jamal, in Faizabad, British India. When her dad testifies against the local corrupt cop, Dilawar Khan, Khan swears to avenge this humiliation, and several years later, abducts Ameeran, holds her for ransom. When no money is forthcoming, he sells her. Ameeran ends up in a brothel run by Lucknow's Madame Khanum Jaan, where she is taught dance and poetry, and is subsequently re-named Umrao Jaan. Years later, Umrao has matured, is a well-known Courtesan with many patrons, chief amongst them are Nawab Sujat Ali Khan and his son, Sultan. Umrao and Sultan fall in love with each other, much to the chagrin of Sujat, who instructs Sultan either to give up Umrao or to lose his inheritance, and Sultan chooses Umrao. He gives up his father's palatial house and goes to live in the brothel, but re-locates to live with his uncle in Gadi after being taunted by Khanum Jaan. Umrao has a new admirer, Nawab Faiz Ali, who proposes to take her ...

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Plot Keywords:

courtesan | whipping | bare chested male bondage | kidnapping | singing | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

India

Language:

Urdu Hindi

Release Date:

3 November 2006 (India)

Also Known As:

Umrao Jaan: Losy pieknej kurtyzany

Filming Locations:

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$485,000, 5 November 2006

Gross USA:

$485,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,371,723

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

188 min (European Film Market)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The costumes in which Aishwarya Rai Bachchan sings and dances in were auctioned off for a charity prior to the release of the film.

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Goofs

The movie is set in the period of the late 19th century but the hand pump shown is of India Mark II which came into existence much later.

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Connections

Version of Umrao Jaan (1981)

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Soundtracks

Pehle Pehle
Written by Javed Akhtar
Music by Anu Malik
Performed by Alka Yagnik
Courtesy of T-series

User Reviews

Tragic

Despite being panned, I had hope that this film might be a fulfilling experience. The main problem with 'Umrao Jaan' is that it insists upon itself. It tries hard to be taken seriously, ergo, the script seems to be written by an eight grader who has just received a thesaurus and tries to impress his teacher by resorting to complex Lexis where simple words would do. Fact: J.P Dutta's version had all the makings of a grand tragedy: the ethereal main lead, her ashenly handsome love interest, haunting songs and magnificent sets and costumes.

Furthermore,the length of the film is exhaustive...I actually had to get up and move about for a bit in order to shake the cobwebs lining the inside of my cranium. The songs, though melodiously rendered, are far too many in number and get on one's nerves after a while. Also Dutta has shown 'Umrao Jaan' to be a love story gone sour. Having read Rusva's original I can safely say that the broad outlook of the novel was to provide the reader an insight into the life of a courtesan...the love story was just a part of the text and not the novel as a whole.

In conclusion, Umrao Jaan may be Aishwarya Rai's most powerful work till date and another feather in Shabana Azmi's cap but it is vaguely reminiscent of 'Memoirs of a Geisha' sans a true sense of tragedy.