Umrao Jaan (2005)
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67% of users liked it
(4,982 ratings)
A young courtesan kidnapped from her home and sold into slavery ultimately transcends her grim fate in director J.P. Dutta's adaptation of author Mirza Haadi Ruswa's classic 1905 novel. Previously adapted for the screen to great acclaim in 1981, Ruswa's novel tells the story of a middle… More A young courtesan kidnapped from her home and sold into slavery ultimately transcends her grim fate in director J.P. Dutta's adaptation of author Mirza Haadi Ruswa's classic 1905 novel. Previously adapted for the screen to great acclaim in 1981, Ruswa's novel tells the story of a middle class girl kidnapped by a habitual offender who had been imprisoned for ten years as a result of her father's damning testimony. Determined to curse his accuser with a fate worse than death, the vengeful ex-convict spirited the man's daughter away and sold the young girl - then known as Amiran - to a brothel in Lucknow. Subsequently given the name Umrao, raised in the lap of luxury, and trained to be a great entertainer, the young girl would grow up to become one of the most beautiful and popular entertainers of her time. Yet despite all of her success, something was missing in the life of the girl now known as Umrao. Though fortune seemed to smile down on her against all odds, Umrao soon fell in love with the powerful Nawab Sultan and longed to start a family with the influential figure despite the fact that their love seemed doomed from the onset. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- J.P. Dutta
- Written By
- Muzzafar Ali
- Genres
- Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Art House & International
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Nov 3, 2006 Limited
- On DVD
- Jan 23, 2007
- Studio
- Adlabs Films
Critic Reviews
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Derek Elley, Variety
Demands more patience than usual mainstream Hindi fare but rewards the viewer with fine perfs and a story that engages emotionally over the three-hour span.
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Ethan Alter, Film Journal International
This story has all the hallmarks of a grand tragedy, but under J.P. Dutta's leaden direction, Umrao Jaan never registers a pulse.
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David Chute, L.A. Weekly
At three and a half hours, J.P. Dutta's lugubrious period melodrama Umrao Jaan defeated me. It feels endless.
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Cast
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Shabana Azmi
as Khanum
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Suniel Shetty
as Faiz Ali
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Aishwarya Rai
as Ameeran/Umrao Jaan
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Abhishek Bachchan
as Nawab Sultan
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Kulbhushan Kharbanda
as Maulvi
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Himani Shivpuri
as Bua Hussaini
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Ayesha Jhulka
as Khurshid Jaan
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Divya Dutta
as Bismillah Jaan
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Puru Raj Kumar
as Gauhar Mirza
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Parikshit Sahni
as Ameeran's Father
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Maya Alagh
as Ameeran's Mother
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Vishwajeet Pradhan
as Dilawar Khan
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Javed Khan
as Pir Baksh
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Bikram Saluja
as Ashraf
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Bansree Madhani
as Ameeran the Young Umrao
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Alka Yagnik
as Singing Voice of Umrao Jaan
- Puru Rajkumar
- Sunil Shetty
- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
- Parikshat Sahni
