By Anil Maybhate , November 5, 2006 - 14:07 IST 15 of 18 people found this review helpful
CRAP!!
Anu Malik just doesn't get it! Umrao Jaan lived in 19th century Lacknow! There was a kind of sad richness to the whole culture that was going away fast. That sadness is nowhere to be seen in the music full of sitars and violins.
non-talented directors like Anu Malik should not dare touch the painful nerve in the character like Umrao Jaan. They should just respect and keep away!
I don't know why people liked Alka Yagnik in this one! she is otherwise a good (above average but that's all!) singer. She has shrieked in this one so much that it hurts the ear. Someone should tell her that shrieking is not the way to replace Asha and Lata. Just because they can sing in high pitch and yet sound pleasent, doesn't mean every girl should shriek to her death!
I personally think Richa Sharma and Anmol Malik's voices were much much better. Although I do not understand why a "khandani" character like Umrao Jaan will sing in the colloquial language.
That finally brings me to the poetry. Javed Akhtar! Even the name gives me Diabetes with its fake "sweetness". This "highly respected" poet churns out poetry with a so much complete lack of feelings that words really sound like "chhan-chhan" of all the "fake" gold ornaments in the serial Mahabharat!
This male-doll poet shows complete lack of understanding of Umarao Jaan, her sadness, agony and a strong self-respect that she shows in even two lines of her shayari! i donno how he acieves this high levels of hollowness!! I will jsut say "Umrao, use maaf karo. akal ka kacchaa hai, jaanataa nahin woh kyaa kar rahaa hai!"
In my idea, if one wants to touch a character like Umrao Jaan, one has to be respectful of the sorrow in a poetic, highly creative and self-respecting mind. if you do not have this, just keep away from the burning flame nahin to aise jal jaaoge ki raakh bhi nahi bachegi aur dhooaan bhi nahi niklegaa.
