Umrao Jaan (1981 film)
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| Umrao Jaan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Muzaffar Ali |
| Written by |
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| Based on | Umrao Jaan Ada by Mirza Hadi Ruswa |
| Produced by | Muzaffar Ali |
| Starring | Rekha |
| Cinematography | Pravin Bhatt |
| Edited by | B. Prasad |
| Music by | Mohammed Zahur Khayyam |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 145 minutes |
| Language | Urdu[1] |
| Budget | ₹50 lakh[2] |
Umrao Jaan is a 1981 Indian period musical drama film directed by Muzaffar Ali and starring Rekha as the eponymous character. Based on the 1905 Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada, the film tells the story of a Lucknow tawaif and poet, and her rise to fame.
Upon release, Umrao Jaan received widespread critical acclaim, with high praise for Ali's direction and Rekha's central performance, which is widely considered as one of the greatest of Hindi cinema. It also emerged as a commercial success, ranking as one of the highest-grossing films of the year.
At the 29th National Film Awards, Umrao Jaan won 4 awards, including Best Actress (Rekha). At the 29th Filmfare Awards, the film received 3 nominations, including Best Actress (Rekha), and won 2 awards – Best Director (Ali) and Best Music Director (Khayyam).
Plot[edit]
In the year 1840, a girl named Amiran is kidnapped from her family in Faizabad and sold to Khanum Jaan, the madam of a kotha in Lucknow who teaches young tawaifs. Dilawar is sentenced to several years in prison after Amiran's daroga dad testifies against him, he kidnapped Amiran for revenge. It is here Amiran renamed Umrao Jaan. Years later, Umrao has grown up and is an accomplished poet as well as an extraordinary tawaif. She turns into a cultured woman trained to captivate men of wealth and taste.
The young Nawab is smitten by Umrao's beauty and her poems. Umrao catches the eye of Nawab Sultan and the two fall in love, but the relationship comes to an end when Nawab reveals he must marry in order to please his family, leaving behind a heart broken and devastated Umrao, who seeks solace in the arms of Faiz Ali. Umrao then becomes infatuated with bandit chieftain Faiz Ali, who woos and wins her heart. She elopes with him, only to find out that he is a wanted bandit, forced to return to Lucknow after Ali is killed by local police.
Umrao relocates to Kanpur where she establishes herself as a poet and tawaif, but is hunted down by kotha keepers, Gohar Mirza and Husseini and brought back. Some time later, she meets the Begum from Kanpur again in Lucknow and discovers that she is actually Ram Dai. She is imprisoned with another girl, Ram Dai, but the two are separated when Dilawar Khan takes her to Lucknow. By a strange twist of fate Ram Dai was sold to the mother of Nawab Sultan. Ram Dai and Nawab Sultan are now married. British forces lay siege to Lucknow and the residents evacuate the city. Umrao's party of refugees stops in a small village, which Umrao recognizes as Faizabad. The residents fail to recognize her, however, and ask her to dance for their pleasure.
Afterwards, she reunites with her family, who believe her to be dead. Her mother is happy to welcome Umrao back, but her brother forbids it and threatens her. He thought her being a tawaif was a disgrace, and thought she was better off dead, ordering her to leave. Devastated, Umrao Jaan returns to Lucknow once the mutiny is over, and finds the kotha looted and deserted.
Cast[edit]
- Rekha as Amiran/Umrao Jaan
- Seema Sathyu and Umme Farwa as young Amiran
- Farooq Shaikh as Nawab Sultan
- Naseeruddin Shah as Gohar Mirza
- Raj Babbar as Faiz Ali
- Ishtiaque Khan as Khan Ghilzai
- Gajanan Jagirdar as Maulvi Saheb
- Shaukat Kaifi as Khanum Jaan
- Dina Pathak as Husseini
- Prema Narayan as Bismillah Jaan
- Bharat Bhushan Bhalla as Khan Saheb
- Mukri as Parnan Aziz
- Satish Shah as Daroga Dilawar
Crew[edit]
- Art Direction: Muzaffar Ali, Bansi Chandragupta, Manzoor
- Choreography: Gopi Krishna for the song "Dil Cheez Kya Hai", Kumudini Lakhia[3]
- Costume Design: Subhashini Ali
Release and reception[edit]
According to author Anitaa Padhye's Ten Classics (English), Umrao Jaan was released theatrically on 2 January 1981.[4]
Rekha was widely praised for her acting, and she was awarded the National Award for her portrayal of the central character.[5] But the box office returns were just average.[6] The supporting characters were played by Naseeruddin Shah, Farooq Shaikh, Raj Babbar and Bharat Bhushan. Critics responded favourably to the carefully done historical setting.
The soundtrack was composed by Khayyam and the lyrics were penned by Shahryar. Several songs from the film, sung by Asha Bhosle, are considered classics of filmi music: "Dil Cheez Kya Hai", "Justuju Jiski Thi", "In Ankhon Ki Masti Ke", and "Yeh Kya Jagah Hai Doston". Today, Umrao Jaan is considered at par with other cult classics such as Pakeezah (1972) and is widely acclaimed as one of India's great cinematic magnum opuses.[5]
Soundtrack[edit]
The music of the film was composed by Khayyam, while the lyrics were penned by Shahryar.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dil Cheez Kya Hai" | Shahryar | Asha Bhosle | 6:06 |
| 2. | "In Ankhon Ki Masti Ke" | Shahryar | Asha Bhosle | 5:42 |
| 3. | "Jab Bhi Milti Hai" | Shahryar | Asha Bhosle | 1:28 |
| 4. | "Jhoola Kinne Dala" | Shahryar | Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Shahida Khan Nizami | 2:31 |
| 5. | "Justuju Jiski Thi" | Shahryar | Asha Bhosle | 4:37 |
| 6. | "Kahe Ko Byahi Bides" | Amir Khusrow[7] | Jagjit Kaur | 4:52 |
| 7. | "Raagmala" | Shahryar | Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Runa Prasad, Shahida Khan | 5:22 |
| 8. | "Yeh Kya Jagah Hai Doston" | Shahryar | Asha Bhosle | 6:07 |
| 9. | "Zindagi Jab Bhi" | Shahryar | Talat Aziz | 4:51 |
| 10. | "Pratham Dhar Dhyan" | Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan |
Accolades[edit]
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29th National Film Awards | Best Actress | Rekha | Won | [8] |
| Best Music Direction | Mohammed Zahur Khayyam | Won | ||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Asha Bhosle for "Dil Cheez Kya Hai" | Won | ||
| Best Art Direction | Manzur | Won | ||
| 29th Filmfare Awards | Best Director | Muzaffar Ali | Won | [9] |
| Best Actress | Rekha | Nominated | ||
| Best Music Director | Mohammed Zahur Khayyam | Won |
Musical[edit]
Salim–Sulaiman adapted the film into a musical play, Umrao Jaan Ada - The Musical, in 2019. The theatrical adaptation was directed by Rajeev Goswami with Pratibha Baghel in the titular role of the tawaif.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ "National Film Archive of India". nfai.nfdcindia.com. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ Subramaniam, Chitra (15 April 1980). "Umrao Jaan attempts to recapture aristocratic grandeur of Awadh". India Today. Living Media. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Cast and crew IMDb.
- ^ Padhye, Anitaa (2020). Ten Classics. Manjul Publishing. p. 313. ISBN 978-93-89647-82-2.
- ^ a b A.k, Arun (24 June 2021). "What made 'Umrao Jaan' iconic". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ Umrao Jaan topactresses, boxofficeindia
- ^ Pankaj Rag (2006). Dhuno Ki Yatra. Rajkamal Prakashan. p. 345. ISBN 978-81-267-1169-7.
- ^ "29th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "Filmfare Nominees and Winners" (PDF). The Times Group. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Khan, Murtaza Ali (8 August 2019). "The aroma of Awadh". The Hindu.
External links[edit]
- Umrao Jaan at IMDb
- 1981 films
- Films featuring a Best Actress National Award-winning performance
- 1980s Hindi-language films
- Indian epic films
- 1980s Urdu-language films
- Films with screenplays by Shama Zaidi
- Films directed by Muzaffar Ali
- Films set in Lucknow
- Films based on Indian novels
- Films about courtesans in India
- Films shot in Lucknow
- Films whose production designer won the Best Production Design National Film Award
- Films adapted into plays
- Urdu-language Indian films