It is one of those rare gems that would shine as brightly even after a million years. It is a movie that takes art to a celestial level. It is a movie that will leave the viewer with a heavy heart without the slightest of melodrama.
In the movie Umrao Jaan, Muzaaffar Ali has used the fascination of poetry to portray the pain a prostitute goes through in her life. He has used music to captivate the viewer and a legend named Rekha to win their hearts. On many occasions, Rekha outshines the mesmerizing music and on other occasions, music tames this wonderfully emotive actress into submission despite her subtle yet powerful expressions.
Amidst those treats to the senses in the form of enthralling lyrics, sensational music, and delicate dances, the director carves a melancholic story of young girl Amiran, who is kidnapped and sold to a brothel. Amiran is rechristened to Umrao (Rekha) and she is taught singing and dancing to please her customers. Her interest in poetry, coupled with her dancing and enchanting voice makes her a popular choice for the rich to visit her, but the cruelty of the world comes to the fore as she is used to satisfy their lust, but fails to qualify to win their companionship. Umrao picks up the pieces and tries building a new fort every time her dreams come down crashing, but her spirit is crushed repeatedly by those surrounding her and her tale of woes never seem to end, as she gets rejected by her own family.
Rekha simply takes acting, dancing and expressiveness to a level only she can create and stroll comfortably, a level unknown to and unheard of by her fellow artistes. Be it a depiction of joy or pain or love or any emotion one can think of, Rekha comes out with flying colours and is easily the undisputed queen when it comes to winning the heart of the viewers. Her genius dwarfs even a legend like Naseerudin Shah and a talented actor like Farooq Sheikh. Farooq touches a heart or two with his controlled performance and Nasir is usual versatile self, but they all look like pygmies amidst the towering personality of Rekha.
Rekha finds competition only from the captivating music and from the charming voice of Asha Bhosle. The lyrics, music and the singer present an unparalleled treat to the senses .
Umrao Jaan will make the viewer leave with a heavy heart. The hypocrisy of the society, which uses prostitutes for satisfying their carnal pleasures but refuses to acknowledge their feelings, is portrayed subtly and sensitively. For a movie whose central character is a harlot, there is hardly any obscenity in Umrao Jaan. Compare that with what we find today - vulgarity in plenty even in movies that portray family life.
If Muzaffar Ali were to recreate this movie again, I doubt if he would get it as close to perfection as he got it the first time. Umrao Jaan is a movie which will have no parallel, simply because it has a unique blend of pleasure, poetry and pain. It will make an impact like no other movie can. If you haven’t watched this gem of a movie, you are definitely missing something.