Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan returns to movie theatres 44 years after release. There doesn’t seem to be much interest in the project. The Kotha culture which this exquisite film embraces is no more of interest to moviegoers.
1981 was the year of realistic cinema, with Smita Patil in Marathi and Hindi in Jabber Patel’s Subah, Saritha in K. Balachander’s Tamil Thaneer Thaneer and Jennifer Kendal in 36 Chowringhee Lane, pulling out all stops.
But Rekha as Umrao Jaan was extra-special. She proved she was the Chosen One. Umrao Jaan was the story of a restless woman whose wandering soul takes her through warm and robust relationships with a bashful Nawab (Farooq Shaikh), her childhood friend and admirer (Naseeruddin Shah) and a long-haired dacoit (Raj Babbar).
There’s a touch of dangerous poetry in the presentation, as though underneath all the posturings of decorum these characters are hungering for the same primeval satisfaction that less refined men and women express in a far more direct and sexual language.
The beautifully crafted story begins and ends with a song. In the beginning we see the child Umrao frolicking to the sounds of the traditional Bidaai song ‘Kahey ko biyahi bides’. The child is then abducted and trained to be a sophisticated tawaif.
At the end Umrao is back at her long-lost home revisiting her childhood memories through the song ‘Yeh kya jagah hai doston?’ Song and music have always been considered an integral part of Hindi cinema. Never have they been more integral than in Umrao Jaan. The lyrics, tunes and Asha Bhosle’s supple singing carry the courtly tale to great heights of expression.
Rightfully Khayyam and Asha Bhosle won National awards for their efforts. So did Rekha, controversially beating Jennifer Kapoor ‘s poignant performance in Aparna Sen’s 36 Chowringhee Lane to the honour. Umrao Jaan remains Rekha’s Mother India. She’ll always be recognized and wah-wahed for this role rather than any other. Not that she has anything else remotely comparable with Umrao Jaan in her repertoire.
Interestingly during the same year as Umrao Jaan Rekha was also seen in Yash Chopra’s Silsila as the elusive, enigmatic, old-world beauty searching for love .
