Umrao Jaan (2006 film)
Umrao Jaan | |
---|---|
J.P. Dutta | |
Music by | Anu Malik |
Distributed by | Adlabs[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 189 minutes |
Country | India |
Languages | Hindi Urdu |
Budget | ₹15 crore[2] |
Box office | est. ₹19.52 crore[3] |
Umrao Jaan is a 2006 Indian
in supporting roles.Produced on a budget of ₹150 million,[2] Umrao Jaan was released on 3 November 2006 in 600–700 screens worldwide[4] and grossed ₹195.2 million.[3]
Plot
In 1840, a girl named Ameeran (Aishwarya Rai) is a joy in her parents' lives. She is kidnapped from her home in Faizabad by Dilawar Khan (Vishwajeet Pradhan) who had been sent to jail years before upon evidence presented by Ameeran's father. To take his revenge, Dilawar sells Ameeran to a kotha in Lucknow that is run by Khannum Jaan (Shabana Azmi). Bua Hussaini (Himani Shivpuri) and Maulvi Sahib (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) adopt Ameeran and treat her as their own daughter. In the company of Khurshid (Ayesha Jhulka), Bismillah (Divya Dutta), and one of the tawaif's sons, Gauhar Mirza (Puru Raaj Kumar), Ameeran learns the art of being a tawaif.
The girl grows into an elegant, poetic beauty by the name of Umrao Jaan (
In Nawab Sultan's absence, Umrao catches the eye of the wealthy Faiz Ali (
Heartbroken, she returns to Lucknow but fate has other plans for her. Upon her return, it is revealed that Maulvi Sahib, her adoptive father, had died while she was away. As she grapples with this grief, her childhood friend Gauhar Mirza (Puru Raaj Kumar), who had always lusted for her, reacts violently to her rejection and rapes her. Soon after, the British attack the city and she is forced to flee, eventually traveling to her childhood home in Faizabad. There, she learns of her father's death years before and reunites with her mother and brother; she implores for their love, but they reject her for the shame she brought with her profession. Devastated, Umrao journeys back to her old life in Lucknow and on the way encounters Dilawar Khan, her childhood kidnapper. Wretched, homeless, injured, and suffering from leprosy, he begs Umrao for money, not recognizing her. She gives him her gold bangles and prays to God for his forgiveness. Ostracized by all and having forgiven those who destroyed her life, Umrao spends the remainder of her life in Lucknow with her poetry and memories.
Cast
- Aishwarya Raias Amiran (Umrao Jaan)
- Abhishek Bachchan as Nawab Sultan Khan
- Shabana Azmi as Khanum Jaan
- Sunil Shettyas Faiz Ali
- Divya Dutta as Bismillah
- Himani Shivpuri as Bua Hussaini
- Puru Raaj Kumar as Gauhar Mirza
- Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Maulvi Sahib
- Ayesha Jhulka as Khurshid
- Bikram Saluja as Ashraf (Nawab Sultan's friend)
- Parikshat Sahnias Umrao's father
- Maya Alagh as Umrao's mother
- Vishwajeet Pradhan as Dilawar Khan (Amiran's abductor)
- Javed Khan as Peer Baksh (Dilawar Khan's accomplice)
- Vimarsh Roshan
- Bansree Madhani as Amiran (the young Umrao)
- Alexandre Boisvert as Sultan Khan
Production
According to Dutta the film is based on the script written by his father O. P. Dutta,[5] which in turn was adapted from the classic Urdu novel Umrao Jan Ada by Mirza Hadi Ruswa. The film was shot on location including some palaces from Jaipur. Saroj Khan was selected to choreograph the dances, but backed out owing to disagreements with director J. P. Dutta.[6] She was replaced by Vaibhavi Merchant.[7]
Several of the roles were changed during pre-production.
Soundtrack
Umrao Jaan | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Feature film soundtrack | ||||
Length | 50:38 | |||
Language | Hindi / Urdu | |||
Label | T-Series | |||
Producer | Anu Malik | |||
Anu Malik chronology | ||||
|
The music is by Anu Malik and the lyrics by Javed Akhtar. The full album is recorded by Alka Yagnik, Anmol Malik, Richa Sharma and Sonu Nigam, and was released on T-Series label.[11][12] Malik's daughter Anmol Malik made her singing debut with this album, she rendered her voice for "Agle Janam Mohe Bitya (Reprise)".[13]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Agle Janam Mohe Bitya" | Javed Akhtar | Richa Sharma | 7:03 |
2. | "Bekha Diya Hamein" | Javed Akhtar | Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam | 6:16 |
3. | "Ek Toote Huye Dil Ki" | Javed Akhtar | Alka Yagnik | 2:02 |
4. | "Foreword" | Javed Akhtar | Javed Akhtar | 0:41 |
5. | "Jhute Ilzaam" | Javed Akhtar | Alka Yagnik | 6:39 |
6. | "Main Na Mil Saku Jo Tumse" | Javed Akhtar | Alka Yagnik | 7:19 |
7. | "Pehle Pehel" | Javed Akhtar | Alka Yagnik | 5:57 |
8. | "Pooch Rahe Hain" | Javed Akhtar | Alka Yagnik | 6:24 |
9. | "Salaam" | Javed Akhtar | Alka Yagnik | 5:36 |
10. | "Agle Janam Mohe Bitya (Reprise)" | Javed Akhtar | Anmol Malik | 2:41 |
Total length: | 50:38 |
Reception
The film performed poorly at the box office, grossing only Rs. 6,49,00,000.[14] The film received negative reviews from critics. Many of them reacted unfavourably to J. P. Dutta's direction and the film's three-hour running time, and several critics panned it while comparing it to the highly acclaimed 1981 version directed by Muzaffar Ali.[15]
Susan Muthalaly from The Hindu wrote, "Umrao Jaan remains a spectacle that does nothing for you, personally." She wrote about Rai, "You'd think that since she's playing someone so close to her real life, there would be real feeling in the performance. But remember, this is a realistic performance, so Rai stays true to her real life character and shows no genuine emotion for most of the film. She dances like a dream, but her range of emotions is limited."[19] Another review in The Hindu said, "Umrao Jaan of 2006 would be at best remembered as a poor man's remake of a classic or a love story with a period flavour."[20]
Kathakali Jana from Hindustan Times wrote, "Though comparing the film with the 1981 magnum opus is not fair, what does one do with a baggage of incredible weight? One simply remembers it again and decides to go back to it once more." Similarly, Jana wrote about Rai that she "looks lovely when she smiles. She looks lovelier when she cries. Dutta's screenplay – which runs into 180 excruciating minutes – allows her to do both in good measure. But where is the celebrated 19th century tawaif of Lucknow whose untold sufferings could do nothing to strip her of her dignity?"[23]
Ziya Us Salam wrote for the same newspaper in a more positive review, "At its soul, body, even content, this Umrao Jaan is as beautiful as its leading lady (Rai), the one who once had the world at her feet."[24] Gullu Singh, another reviewer for Rediff, praised the film for being more loyal to the novel."[25]
Worldwide, the film has grossed Rs. 19.52 crore, including $485,000 at the U.S. box office.[26]
References
- News18. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Marketing Bollywood: Movie producers exploit media hunger by generating pre-release hype". India Today. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Umrao Jaan 2006 Box Office". Box Office India. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "More prints, bigger bucks". The Financial Express. 29 October 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "First look on Aishwarya's Umrao Jaan". IndiaFM. Retrieved 18 July 2006.
- ^ Jha, Subhash K. (5 October 2006). "Saroj Khan is ready for a comeback". IndiaFM. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
- ^ "Umrao Jaan: Soundtrack listing and details". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
- ^ "JP Dutta prefers Ash for 'Umrao Jaan'". Hindustan Times. 23 June 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "I feel bad I missed out on Umrao Jaan: Arshad Warsi". Daily News and Analysis. 13 July 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Rekha insisted Shabana do Umrao Jaan". Hindustan Times. 9 February 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Music of Umrao Jaan launched". Hindustan Times. 3 October 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Umrao Jaan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple Music. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Anu Malik's daughter's singing debut in Umrao Jaan". Rediff.com. 20 October 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Box Office 2006". BoxOffice India. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
- ^ Adarsh, Taran. "Umrao Jaan". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
- ^ Joshi, Poonam (20 October 2006). "Umrao Jaan (2006)". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
- ^ Kazmi, Nikhat (4 November 2006). "Umrao Jaan". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- Rediff. Retrieved 3 November 2006.
- ^ Muthalaly, Susan (10 November 2006). "Beauty without emotions – Umrao Jaan". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 December 2006. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ Biswas, Niloshree (17 November 2006). "Classic becomes mundane". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 December 2006. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- The Tribune. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ Menon, Seena (5 November 2006). "Umrao Jaan". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ Jana, Kathakali (3 November 2006). "REVIEW: Umrao Jaan lacks the ada". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ Us Salam, Ziya (5 November 2006). "Umrao Jaan lives on, and on, and on..." The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- Rediff. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ "Umrao Jaan (2006) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
External links
- Umrao Jaan at IMDb
- Umrao Jaan at Box Office Mojo