Cast : Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Suniel Shetty, Puru Rajkumar, Divya Dutta, Himani Shivpuri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Ayesha Jhulka, Bikram Saluja, Arshad warsi
Producer : J. P. Dutta
Director : J. P. Dutta
Music Director : Anu Malik
Lyricist : Javed Akhtar
Story Writer : J. P. Dutta
Dialogue Writer : O. P. Dutta
Screenplay Writer : O. P. Dutta
Art Director : Bijon Das Gupta
Choreographer : Vaibhavi Merchant
Playback Singer : Alka Yagnik
Release Date : 20 October 2006
Review:
Umrao Jaan is being looked forward by everybody with unabated breath. Aishwarya being paired with her rumored beau Abhishek Bachchan in a classic like Umrao Jaan will definitely have people stand up and notice.
The promos show a very strikingly beautiful Aishwarya make a courtesan’s dance move. We will have to wait and see if she successfully carries off the role that yesteryear superstar Rekha played with great charm and elegance in Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan made in 1981. Incidentally, Rekha won a National Award for her performance in Umrao Jaan.
Umrao Jaan is based on Mirza Mohammed Haadi’s novel and is a musical love story of a courtesan. Although, J.P.Dutta claims that the story is not based on the novel and that the story is based on a script written by his dad, O.P. Dutta, comparisons with the earlier version is bound to happen.
Umrao Jaan has been made on a budget of Rs. 200 million and is J.P.Dutta comeback movie after LoC Kargil which did not fare well at the boxoffice. Umrao jaan is a period film and J.P.Dutta has meticulously planned each detail of the movie including the architecture and jewellery. Aishwarya Rai has supposedly spent hours together to master the movements of a courtesan.
Apart from Aishwarya and Abhishek who play the role of Umrao Jaan and Nawab Sultan (performed by Farooq Sheik in the original) respectively, the others in the movie are Shabana Azmi, Suniel Shetty, Puru Rajkumar, Divya Dutta, Himani Shivpuri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Ayesha Jhulka, Bikram Saluja, Arshad warsi. Shabana Azmi plays the role of Umrao Jaan's mother Khanum Jaan, originally played by her mother, Shaukat Kaifi. Arshad Warsi has been reportedly roped in for the role of Gohar Mirza originally played by Naseeruddin Shah. Gohar Mirza’s role has a negative shade to it and it will be good to watch the much talented Warsi perform it.
The movie releases on 20th Oct, 2006. There has been some speculation that the release might get delayed a little.