I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Too much of everything

Overrated and overhyped

Don't Believe the Hype

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.

Umrao Jaan had great potential to become one of the renowned classics of the world cinema, had the screenwriter and the director had the foresight to know when to end the movie.The plot had all the tools of a successful story, well told, superbly acted both by Aishwarya Rai and Abishek Bachchan. They excelled themselves once more, projecting a great love that never went stale nor it lost its intensity of passion. The essence of the movie was a love story that ended in tragedy and it should have never turned into a life story. When the couple parted and she returned home, to the brothel in Lucknow that should have been the end, for anything that came after that was anticlimactic and only tried the patience of the audience.A movie should have only one great climax scene, and that came with the crisis when Nawab Sultan disowned her. Resolution should have followed immediately. We know that her life as we knew it ended there and possibly she became a living corpse. So why digress, diluting the effect of the climax adding another crisis scene, such as the rejection of her family? We all know that in a society that public affection is forbidden even to this day it is obvious that she could not go home again, so why bother to show it? And the purpose of the last wedding scene where she performed escaped me. If it was to add another song it just served to bore the viewers.J.P. Dutta will be wise to edit the ending of the movie, making it shorter, and release it again for the sake of saving a great piece of art from permanent oblivion.

I saw both old (1981) and new Umrao Jaan (2006). The old Umrao, I think, is one of the best movies (Indian or otherwise), at par with any famed-Satyajit Ray. It should NOT be even compared with the new Umrao Jaan. The problem is that it is so good that Muzaffar Ali (the producer of old Umrao from Lucknow where most of the movie unfolds) perhaps cannot make a better movie all his life.The old Umrao is very restrained, and therefore, a believable story of a Lucknow tawa-if (courtesan, geisha). There are no brave heroes (all flee 1857 Sepoy Mutiny against the English), the robber Faiz Ali dies in an unheroic escape. Owner of house of tawaifs, Madam Khanum, is selfish and exploitative. Nawab Sultan, one of the first clients of Umrao, sees Umarao what she is - a tawaif and abandons her with no compunctions to marry into the wealthy family of her cousin; others hurl insults at Umrao. There is a thin line (if any) between a tawaif and a prostitute/hooker - old Umrao sleeps with Nawab Sultan as a matter of routine, and then with the robber Faiz Ali. In old Umrao Urdu poetry (ghazal) is shown to be pervasive in the lives of tawaifs and all around her. The dialogs are in lyrical, delicate and local Urdu, difficult to be appreciated in translation. In old Umrao, acting is superb by all. Songs and Indian Kathak dances (minus one by Nawab Sultan) are mostly in context.Good movies like good books can enrich and teach. Most Indian movies are trash, fantastic escape from reality but not old Umrao Jaan. You could see Lucknow of a bygone era. Sample these:pigeon flight contests (or kabootar baazi, a flock breaking pigeons mid flight from a rival flock) - Indian hop scotch (ikkal dukkal) - the earthen stove (or choolha) - the custom of eating with hands in the kitchen on the floor near choolha - the custom of offering for a saint's shrine (nazar at durgaah) - the custom of arranged marriage between Muslim cousins - the custom of purdah, - the custom of eating betel leaf (or paans) and hookah smoking - the tradition of sellers of bangles and shawls coming home - the incompetent contemptible and indolent nawabs who would sell part of the estate for a courtesanSee old Umrao if you have not yet; see it again if you have once. Technically, the photography in old Umrao is not as high quality as in the new one but then in 25 years cameras have improved a lot.Old Umrao gets 9/10; the new 3/10.

i loved this film it was great, Sunil Shetty looked so hot with eyeliner on, and Abishek Bachan was just so cool on the horse, Aishwarya Rai was looking gorgeous then ever, and just the whole acting crew was great! I cried it seemed so real. Shabana Azmi was so great and gave the whole film that extra spark. The scenery, the music, the dance everything was perfect, people were actually clapping at the end of the movie.A great movie with everything you need, romantic, comedy, action, thrilling and with a lot of suspense! Definitely a movie to watch. I would rate this movie the movie of the year!