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Umrao Jaan

Umrao Jaan

Original name: Umrao Jaan
English name: Umrao Jaan
Year: 1981
Run Time: 145'
Language: Urdu
Type (Colour/ Black & White): Colour
Country: India
Director: Muzaffar Ali
Producer: Muzaffar Ali
Cast: Rekha, Farooq Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah, Raj Babbar
Screenplay: Muzaffar Ali, Javed Siddiqui, Shama Zaidi
Cinematographer: Pravin Bhatt
Editor: B. Prasad
Sound Designer: B.K. Chaturvedi
Music Composer: Khayyam
Costume Designer: Subhashini Ali
Production Designer: Muzaffar Ali, Bansi Chandragupta, Manzoor
Production Company: Integrated Films, S K Jain & Sons

Selected Filmography:

  • 2015 Jaanisaar
  • 1986 Anjuman
  • 1982 Aagaman
  • 1981 UmraoJaan
  • 1978 Gaman

Director's Biography:

Born in 1946, Muzaffar Ali is an Indian filmmaker, poet, artist, and social worker. Ali graduated from Aligarh Muslim University in Geology, Botany and Chemistry. He had no formal education in art or film. He began his career in an advertising agency in Calcutta. Ali soon moved to Mumbai to fully devote his time to films and art. As a filmmaker, he was involved with a handful of Bollywood films. including Umrao Jaan (1981), and Gaman (1978). He also directed a few documentaries and short films based on Awadh, craft, culture, exploitation of women and Sufism.

Synopsis

Umrao Jaan is a tragic story of a beautiful woman with heart of a poet, in pre independence India. As a little girl, Amiran was sold to a madam of brothel in Lucknow. Renamed as Umrao Jaan, she learned the art of dance, music and, how to charm wealthy men. Nawab Sultan, a prince, falls for her and both are in love. But Nawab cannot marry her. Heartbroken, she finds solace in arms of Faiz Ali, a bandit chieftain. She leaves her life behind and elopes with him. But as fate would have it, Faiz is shot in the skirmish with Police. Umrao's party of refugees stops in a small village, which Umrao recognizes as her birth place. She reunites with her family. 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.