Peter Young J.P. Dutta directs Umrao Jaan, the second film adaptation of Mirza Hadi Ruswa's 1905 novel "Umrao Jaan Ada", which tells the story of the famous Lucknow courtesan. Although Dutta claimed to have based the film on the novel, it is clearly more a remake of the 1981 film version, directed by Muzaffar Ali and starring Rekha. The 1981 film was lavish, powerful and beautiful and is a famous musical classic. Rekha's heartfelt performance as Umrao Jaan remains till date one of the finest performances of not only her career but of Indian cinema in general. So obviously one would go on to compare the two versions, and needless to say, the 1981 film is and will always be associated with this title. This new version is not very bad. It is pleasing to the eye, it has some nice songs, great costumes, and Aishwarya Rai looks impossibly beautiful. However, the film is lacking in substance, in emotion and it lacks the power to excite.In comparison to Rekha, Aishwarya Rai is frankly more of an amateur (and I'm not one of those who hate her). Rekha's line delivery, her non-verbal emotions, her pain, her expressive eyes being occasionally filled with tears, and above all her dance numbers which are some of the most memorable in the history of Indian films, were so soulful. Aishwarya, though stunning in looks and evidently trying to do her best, simply does not have the ability to recreate this magic. She does have her moments, but that's as far as it goes and it is hardly a good performance. Moreover, her dance numbers are overly mechanical. Anu Malik's soundtrack is good and the great Alka Yagnik sings the songs beautifully, but then again, when compared to Khayyam's unforgettable songs performed to perfection by Asha Bhosle in the original version, is nothing exceptional. Another much talked about role in the film is that of Khanum Jaan, played by Shabana Azmi. Azmi plays a role her own mother, Shaukat Azmi, played in the original version. She seems to have a lot of fun with the minimal job her character lets her do and surprisingly does not really take her role seriously, as she rightly admitted in an interview. That's okay, even accomplished actors like Azmi are allowed to have fun, and that's what actually makes her portrayal the more so entertaining. As for Abhishek Bachchan, the less said about him, the better. Even on its own, Umrao Jaan does not hold water. It is melodramatic, uninspiring and poorly directed. Aishwarya's presence and the film's visuals cannot save it from being just another unsuccessful and forgettable attempt to remake a classic.

farkomeister Muzaffar Ali made the classic "Umrao Jaan" in 1981 starring Rekha, Farooq Sheikh, Naseeruddin Shah, and Raj Babbar. Compared to that, this one is entirely unwatchable.The screenplay is terrible and barely maintains the viewer's interest for the first hour. Only towards the end is there any noticeable flow to the story. Casting is fine, but Sunil Shetty does not fit the bill of Faiz Ali.The language of Lucknow is Urdu, and, unlike what some other commentators claim, the movie does not employ a correct version of the language. The dialect used by some characters is also incorrect. Dialogues are horrible, and Aishwarya's pronunciation of Urdu words is absolutely revolting. Umrao Jaan was an Urdu poetess, and Aishwarya does not do her justice. The playback singers, however, are excellent, especially Alka Yagnik.Being a native of Lucknow, I know that we do not use "Baisa", "Mausa", "Apshagun", "Maan maryada" etc, especially among Muslim families, to which all the movie's characters belong. Yet, JP Dutta pays no attention to these important details, and the characters continue to use these and other wrong terms.The characters' wardrobe is not comparable to period Lucknow or to Muzaffar Ali's version of the movie, despite Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla's involvement.JP Dutta's Umrao Jaan is a low budget pretender of a movie, with Aishwarya's looks being the only redeeming factor.Stay away from this film. Watch Muzaffar Ali's original version, if you can. That was a pleasure to watch.2/10.

nasrabashir Please stop making old themes ,it looks as if the first production wasn't upto the mark so something more has to be added, whereas the new productions are not as good as the old ones and the new cast doesn't add any thing extra in the themes which interest the public anymore ,there has always been an era of a subject ,first it was romance then historical themes of mughals ,then the dancing girls of India and Pakistan after that era of violence and sex and then again back to light movies like Mein hun naa .Ashwaria is a fantastic very pretty actress why should we put her in comparison to Rekha ,she can find roles of her own style she certainly doesn't give the look of a typical dancing lady of Lukhnow with very non eastern features and glowing grey eyes .It looks India is running out of stories ,first Devdas ,Don and then Umrao Jan ada .Well it 's making easy money with paying less attention to finding new stories and themes .

thalisman I saw this movie last night, and I must say, this was a great movie. This is just the type of movie i was expecting, since i'm a lover of good Cinema. Ever since "Devdas" And "Veer-zara" i haven't seen a movie so touching and so well made as "Umrao Jaan". With excellent sets, songs, story, and awesome performance by the actors. This is not the type of flick that some people might be used to, because this is a classical. And about Ash's acting skills I have to say, that this is her best so far. She looks stunning and the dances, are superb. I think she deserves to win the "Best Actress Award", because I haven't seen any other that can measure-up to her. This is the best female character this year, I can't see no one better for the job than Aishwarya. For all those people who dislikes her and that talk badly about her, watch this movie and you will change your mind. I was not an Ash fan because I thought she was just a pretty face but she has proved that not only is she pretty but also that she is a good actress.