The elegance of Umrao Jaan

Shabana Azmi as Khanum Sahib “Life for her was like the game of chess. With the kings, the queens and the pawns. The pawns were many, the queen just one – She! ” Khanum was the high priestess of a high class kotha, Read More">which aristocrats and cultured nawabs frequented. It was a world of brocadedRead More

Shabana Azmi as Khanum Sahib

“Life for her was like the game of chess.
With the kings, the queens and the pawns.
The pawns were many, the queen just one - She! ”

Khanum was the high priestess of a high class kotha, which aristocrats and cultured nawabs frequented. It was a world of brocaded shawls and rich embellishments, witty conversations, poetry recitals, tobacco and paan, trading of feelings and breaking of hearts. A world created by Khanum with astuteness.

Khanum had love and luxury to give, but at her own terms. To the world she was the perfect courtesan: as she put her heart on ice, never allowing feelings to overpower her sensibilities. At once caustic, at once charming; at once commanding, at once cajoling; at once shrewd, at once smooth ……indeed there was none quite like Khanum. It was Khanum who christened Amiran as Umrao. With that she also gave her nothing that Amiran had bargained for. Unfortunately for Umrao, Khanum’s coffers were never too full; her cup of greed, never too empty.


Khanum is given incredible flesh and blood by one of cinema’s brightest luminaries Shabana Azmi. She says , “ I think J.P.Dutta really loves the character of Khanum. He was very clear in his brief to me. He said that Khanum is an aesthete. People were sent to her to imbibe manners. She had to have the charm, etiquette and vile of a sophisticate but sometimes one had be able to see the coarseness. To me there is a certain artifice about Khanum but there is a core that is real and that is what I kept in mind. J.P.Dutta has really lifted the character of Khanum by adding one particular sequence at the end of the film which was not there in the novel. This has taken the character to a different level.”

As Director J.P Dutta and Shabana Azmi team up professionally for the very first time in Umrao Jaan, it is the union of two pathological cinema lovers whose sheer talent has added immense dignity to cinema history.

Indeed, in her world Khanum the courtesan commanded. In her world Shabana Azmi the artiste commands. And when the twain meet, the latent fire is enough to leave blazing trails.

‘Pehle Aap’ ki tehzeeb – When Kothas were Finishing Schools Lucknow, 1857 The mystical and magnetic Lucknow has been heralded as the cultural capital of North India for generations. The ‘ kathak’ classical dance form, ‘thumris’, the ‘pehle aap’ attitude, the ultra-suaveness in the Urdu language, Read More">multi-layered ‘shairis’ and ‘mushairas’ — all trace their originsRead More

‘Pehle Aap’ ki tehzeeb – When Kothas were Finishing Schools Lucknow, 1857

The mystical and magnetic Lucknow has been heralded as the cultural capital of North India for generations. The ‘ kathak’ classical dance form, ‘thumris’, the ‘pehle aap’ attitude, the ultra-suaveness in the Urdu language, multi-layered ‘shairis’ and ‘mushairas’ -- all trace their origins to Lucknow.

Lucknow, the romantic city of Nawabs… Lucknow, the land of unmatched etiquette, wit and sophistication; enviable style, valor and emotional intelligence; incredible art, fashion and entertainment. Indeed, whether it is history, architecture, sports, handicrafts, music or dance, Lucknow has its very own story to tell.

The courtesan of Lucknow was no figment of Ruswa’s imagination. She practiced her profession in Lucknow and Ruswa had much to do with her life and loves. The kothas of Lucknow were finishing schools for the children of the royalty (nawabs). The most recent and arguably the most advanced of the classical Indian dance forms the ‘Kathak’ took place in Lucknow in that era. The mass popular Pharsi theatre whose basic structure was taken over by Hindi films in the 20th century can be traced to the Urdu theatre in Lucknow. The modern innovations in musical instruments like the tabla and the sitar were created. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was the exponent of the love composition, the famous ‘thumri’. The Indo-Persian gentleman vis-à-vis his European rival was a person steeped in refined manners unassuming sophistication love for poetry, ideas, wit and letters. There is something undeniably feminine about Lucknow – no other city invites like a courtesan of yester years without inhibitions, pretensions or lewd less. Lucknow’s thematic evolution is based in imaginative fantasy called ‘Sham-e-Awadh’. It was this very ambience that was prevalent in Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s celebrated novel Umrao Jan Ada. The book, which revealed the heart-wrenching story of a mesmerizing courtesan, Umrao Jaan , took the literary world by storm and went on to reach meteoric heights of popularity. Written in 1899 and first published in 1905, it is known to be the first great modern Urdu novel.

The film Umrao Jaan’s tragedies were acted out in a thin and restless twilight zone between past and present till date the gloom hangs over Lucknow’s towers and minarets to register a permanent tragedy. The Lucknow of today may be a pale shadow of its former self. Yet, till date, it is identified as the enchanting city of grace, culture, elegance, great history ….. and Umrao Jaan.

Abhishek Bachchan as Nawab Sultan A pathan – a rebel with a passion for beauty and poetry. With his penchant for good poetry, Read More">it was not long before the Nawab Sultan found himself magnetized towards Umrao Jaan’s heartfelt renditions and ghazals and of course her awe-inspiring persona. It was an attraction that bowed down toRead More

Abhishek Bachchan as Nawab Sultan

A pathan – a rebel with a passion for beauty and poetry.

With his penchant for good poetry, it was not long before the Nawab Sultan found himself magnetized towards Umrao Jaan’s heartfelt renditions and ghazals and of course her awe-inspiring persona. It was an attraction that bowed down to the intensity of the feeling of two beautiful people. In Nawab Sultan’s eyes Umrao dared to see a mirror of her desires. In Umrao Jaan’s heart, Nawab Sultan sensed a reflection of his passion. The heavens made them meet but would the world allow them to become one….?

There was definite background to the character of Nawab Sultan. When one is a Nawab, there is a framework of dos and don’ts set to it. There had to be inherent sophistication to the character where the upbringing showed. The way Nawab Sultan tackled situations and combated problems had to be laden with dignity. This was very reflective of the Nawabs at that time. In terms of performance a lot of attention was paid to the body language and speech of Nawab Sultan. And it was offset with his passionate side to accentuate that not only was Nawab Sultan a refined gentleman, but also an intense lover. Great emphasis was given to the passion between Umrao Jaan and Nawab Sultan so that the pain when their love is not fulfilled, is accentuated.

Kirdaar – The Cast Aishwarya Rai as Umrao Jaan “Courtesan…Poetess… Temptress …! Friend…Lover…Giver…! Many names……one special woman……Umrao Jaan ! ” Umrao Jaan was never destined to be the pride of her family…. She was nine when sold into the flesh trade of Lucknow. Yet with her dance prowess, literary genius, magnetic persona and inimitable style, Read More">Read More

Kirdaar – The Cast

Aishwarya Rai as Umrao Jaan

“Courtesan…Poetess… Temptress …! Friend…Lover…Giver…!
Many names……one special woman……Umrao Jaan ! ”

Umrao Jaan was never destined to be the pride of her family…. She was nine when sold into the flesh trade of Lucknow. Yet with her dance prowess, literary genius, magnetic persona and inimitable style, she went on to become the pride of Lucknow. Strangely, she never asked for it… All she wanted was a life laced with simplicity, but her weighty existence crushed her beyond imagination. For, each time she reached out for happiness, it evaded her like a heartless lover.

When it came to Umrao Jaan, J P Dutta’s first ever film with a woman as the main protagonist, it was Aishwarya Rai who was destined to play the legendary pathos-laden role. And play the role, she did … with every part of her being.

Suneil Shetty as Faiz Ali “He was a bandit who looted and victimized… And one day, it was he who was robbed of his most precious possession.” Faiz Ali, Read More">the hardened outlaw; the feared dacoit; the compulsive gangster! The tags were many. But behind the tough exterior lies a soft heart. A heart that beatsRead More

Suneil Shetty as Faiz Ali

“He was a bandit who looted and victimized…
And one day, it was he who was robbed of his most precious possession.”

Faiz Ali, the hardened outlaw; the feared dacoit; the compulsive gangster! The tags were many. But behind the tough exterior lies a soft heart. A heart that beats for the enchanting Umrao Jaan. Weary from the demands of his existence, it was in the confines of Umrao Jaan’s kotha that he got respite like never before.

‘Ever- dependable’ is an adjective Suneil Shetty has deservedly earned .He is known to have an ultra -vulnerable heart behind his well- structured frame. With an aura that is sometime soft, sometime hard, he has managed to give life to ever so many significant characters. A victim, a victimizer; a loser, a winner; the proverbial funny guy, the hopeless lover; a he-man ,a spineless one…he has played it all ! The swash- buckling character of Faiz Ali was an invitation to Suneil Shetty to reveal his expertise yet again.