Thursday, March 03, 2005

Umrao Jaan - Beauty, grace, class and that "something" called 'ada', blend it with memorable poetry, soul stirring vocals, lilting music, detailed art direction, classical choreography, memorable and rich costume design, sensitive direction, lucid screenplay and brilliant performances, and of course the magic called Rekha.

Too many good things to list? Well these are all there in the immensely memorable Umrao Jaan. The whole film is like a beautiful poem being unveiled on screen. It is about a renowned 19th century female artist who achieved the pinnacle of glamour and fame, and yet remained deserted by her loved one's. It is also the story in a widely acclaimed Urdu novel of the same name.

Ameeran /Umrao (Rekha) and Ramdei (Kiran Kaul) are kidnapped as teenage girls from their home in rural UP (Faizabad) on the very day Ameeran is getting engaged, as an avenge for a family dispute. They are brought to the city (Lucknow) and Ramdei is sold to a wealthy princely family as a maid (on account of her fair colour) and Ameeran is sold to an old and kind courtesan, Khanum (Shaukat Azmi). Here Ameeran is rechristened Umrao and introduced to the world of classical dance and music. She grows up surrounded in rich poetry, music, costume design, playing board games and while all her hopes of reuniting with her own family die a slow death, she gradually begins to identify with this new world and contributes her own talent to it.

She turns out to be a successful courtesan, writing her own poems and achieves instant fame. Here Umrao acquires a paramour in Gauhar Mirza (Naseeruddin Shah), who is mischievous with no honourable intentions. He is a tout for bringing the rich into the mehfils. 'Dil Cheez Kya Hai' her mujra gathers instant success and patrons of music and dance flock to her kotha for exclusive mehfils. One such young person is Nawab Sultan (Farooque Sheikh), who attracts her as well, and very soon the two fall in love. They stimulate each other intellectually and have a common interest for poetry. Nawab is from a rich and aristocratic family and though his love for Umrao is real he cannot honour it by the sanctity of marriage because after all she is a courtesan. Their idyllic time comes to an abrupt end, when Nawab's mother upon getting news of his son's philandering ways, marries him off to a pretty caregiver of her's.

In an interesting twist of fate this caregiver is none other then Raam Dei the other girl who was kidnapped and sold along with the teenaged Ameeran. Umrao feels dejected and lovelorn and on rebound flees Khanum's establishment with a stranger Fiaz Ali (Raj Babbar), who turns out to be a dacoit and is very soon slain. Umrao sets up her own small establishment at Kanpur and gets invitations for in-house performances at various Nawab households'. One such invitation lands her at her old lover Sultan's palace, and fate serves her a blow when she discovers that Sultan is infact now married to her childhood partner- Raam Dei. Umrao is left heartbroken; such can be the mysteries of life. 'Justajoo jis ki thi us ko to na paaya humne' renders her broken heart.

Soon the mischievous Mirza discovers her and asks her to return to Khanum's establishment in Lucknow on the pretext that Khanum is on deathbed. Umrao does return, but only to a trap. Khanum is well and thriving and Umrao is brought back only to be imprisoned in her establishment to restore its dwindling glory. She is forced into a forged marriage with Mirza to prevent her from fleeing the place again. Just then the sepoy mutiny breaks out and Umrao is able to slip away from Lucknow and in an interesting situation lands up in Faizabad, her birthplace. Here too she re-establishes her career of a courtesan, and gets invitations to perform at mehfils in her very own hometown. 'Yeh Kya Jageh Hai Dosto' her soul renders as she finds solace in the familiarity of her hometown. She eventually does come face to face with her long lost family, but alas they do not accept her! Umrao for them has died, the very day she was kidnapped, forgotten in their minds and the very brother who she had brought up in her arms drives her out of her home without even letting her embrace her mother.

Umrao eventually is left with no choice but to return to her life of a courtesan that fate chose for her. She return's to her original establishment in Lucknow.

The film is rich in several departments. Performances, set design, costume design, music, vocals and an eye for detail. Silver paan daan's, authentic hookahs, hand spun rich brocades and Jadau jewellery celebrate the artistry of Lucknow craftsmen in the most authentic and beautiful manner. The dances are classy and it remains screen diva Rekha's most treasured performance. She brings the character alive in classy fashion. The film celebrates the various arts it's maker Muzzafar Ali is a patron of, it's a harmonious amalgamation of all his interests and that reflects very well on screen.

Mr. Ali, we look forward to you bringing out another great female artist's story, Zooni of the great Habba Khatoon of Kashmir that you had started filming and had to sadly abort some years back.

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