UMRAO JAAN –
Umrao Jaan, J.P.Dutta’s take on a classic tale based in 19th century Lucknow. Yes it is a period film and like most period films you get to see the style and the settings prevalent at that time. This is also being considered as a remake of the original Umrao Jaan starring Rekha. But I haven’t seen the original movie so do not expect any comparisons to be drawn here.
Usually, I do not favor watching such period movies but it was Aishwarya Rai playing the role of Umrao Jaan that got me interested in the movie. Aish is indeed the most beautiful woman in the world and this is strictly my personal opinion. The promos of the movie also showed Aish looking absolutely lovely. Why am I talking so much about Aish…the reason is Umrao Jaan is Aish, Aish, Aish and only Aish right from the start to the end.
The story begins with a flashback with Umrao Jaan (Aishwarya) telling her story from the time she was 8 years old. She was Amiran then, an innocent girl who didn’t want to leave her parents at any cost. But she is kidnapped and sold to a kotha as an act of revenge (The guy who kidnaps her was sent to jail by her father…the usual revenge story) The kotha is owned by Khanum (Shabhana Azmi) and Amiran now becomes Umrao. Here she learns all the adaa and nazakhat that a courtesan should know. She performs her first mujra and floors the very eminent Nawab Sultan (Abhishek). Umrao becomes Umrao Jaan and love blossoms between the 2 and a couple of more mujras are performed. But as fate should have it, the Nawab has to either forget Umrao or give up his father’s name and fame. The Nawab chooses the latter and is no longer welcome at the courtesan’s door. Enter Faiz Ali (Suniel Shetty) who is also bedazzled by the ethereal beauty of Umrao, but Umrao has already considered the Nawab as her Jaan.
So do Umrao and the Nawab finally end up together? Is Umrao finally set free where she can once again become the Amiran that she was? The rest of the story delves on these possibilities.
Coming to the performances, this is an Aishwarya treat all in all. She looks great in almost every frame and emotes beautifully as well. You can see Aish in all kinds of emotions, right from the disappointment of not getting to perform a mujra to the happiness when she actually does perform, to the anguish over losing her beloved. It’s all there to see. JP Dutta does make the right choice for the portrayal of Umrao Jaan.
Abhishek Bachchan as the Nawab is efficient in the role. Both he and Aish share a likeable chemistry on screen.
Shabhana Azmi as the kotha owner perfoms well. She plays the shrewd and stern owner perfectly.
There are other actors also like Divya Dutta, Ayesha Jhulka but their roles are limited to a few minutes on screen.
Unfortunately there are no such plus points for the movie (ok maybe one…Aish again!!). The historical story interlaced with a lot of Urdu makes the movie real slow and songs thrown in every now and then do not improve the pace of the film at all. Although a few of the songs are really nice to hear and special credit to Anu Malik and Javed Akhtar for them, the film suffers because of the subject mainly.
It is a real slow movie and with movies like DON and JAANEMAN still in theatres this movie is also doomed to flop. JP Dutta is surely better off making his war epics rather than historical love stories.
All in all…Umrao Jaan-a nahin !!