Umrao Jaan
| Umrao Jaan | |
|---|---|
Umrao Jaan film poster
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| Directed by | Muzaffar Ali |
| Produced by | Muzaffar Ali |
| Written by |
Muzaffar Ali Javed Siddiqui Shama Zaidi (Dialogues) |
| Screenplay by |
Muzaffar Ali Javed Siddiqui Shama Zaidi |
| Based on |
Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada by Mirza Hadi Ruswa |
| Starring |
Rekha Seema Sathyu Farooq Shaikh Naseeruddin Shah Umme Farwa Shaukat Kaifi Dina Pathak Prema Narayan Gajanan Jagirdar Raj Babbar Bharat Bhushan Satish Shah (uncredited) |
| Music by |
Khayyam Shahryar (lyrics) |
| Cinematography | Pravin Bhatt |
| Edited by | B. Prasad |
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Release date
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Running time
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145 min. |
| Language | Urdu |
Umrao Jaan (Urdu: امراؤ جان, Hindi: उमराव जान) is a 1981 Bollywood film directed by Muzaffar Ali. Based on the 1905 Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada, the film tells the story of a Lucknow courtesan and her rise to fame.
In the year 1840, a girl named Amiran is kidnapped from her family in Faizabad and sold to Khanum Jaan, the madam of a brothel in Lucknow who teaches young courtesans. Renamed Umrao Jaan, Amiran turns into a cultured woman trained to captivate men of wealth and taste.
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. Umrao then becomes infatuated with bandit chieftain Faiz Ali, who woos and wins her heart. She elopes with him, but is forced to return to Lucknow after Ali is killed by local police.
Sometime later, British soldiers attack Lucknow and the residents are forced to flee. 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 believed her to be dead. Her mother is happy to welcome Umrao back, but her brother forbids it and orders Umrao to never return. She returns to Lucknow to find the brothel looted and deserted.
Rekha was praised for her acting, but the box office returns were just average. The supporting characters were played by Naseeruddin Shah, Farooq Shaikh, Raj Babbar and Bharat Bhushan. Critics responded favourably to the carefully done historical setting.
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