Umrao Jaan 1981

Umrao Jaan is a 1981 Bollywood film, directed by Muzaffar Ali. It is based on the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada (1905), written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa based on the famous Lucknow courtesan. The film starred Bollywood actress Rekha and Farooq Shaikh as leads.

In essence Muzaffar Ali’s 1981 classic ‘Umrao Jaan’ can be called the story of a prostitute, or to be more precise, the story of a prostitute with a heart of gold and the soul of a poet. Not getting into the morality of the lead character’s profession, one could say she is simply a little girl lost, confined within the walls of a brothel whose only escape is her heartfelt poetry and the undependable lovers who share her bed.

The longing for love, is a theme which many film deals with and is probably the most cliché foundation to use when dealing with the life of a prostitute. However, in the context of Umrao Jaan’s story, it is the most applicable base to start from.

Cast

Rekha as Amiran

Seema Sathyu as Young Amiran

Farooq Shaikh as Nawab Sultan

Naseeruddin Shah as Gohar Mirza

Raj Babbar as Faiz Ali

Gajanan Jagirdar as Maulvi

Shaukat Kaifi as Khanum Jaan

Umme Farwa as Young Amiran

Dina Pathak as Husseini

Prema Narayan as Bismillah

Bharat Bhushan as Khan Saheb

Mukri as Parnan Aziz

Satish Shah as Daroga Dilawar

Directed by Muzaffar Ali

Produced by Muzaffar Ali

Written by Muzaffar Ali,Javed Siddiqui

Release dates 1981

The film is based on the 1899 novel ‘Umrao Jan Ada’, written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa; it has also been called the first novel in the Urdu language. Ruswa claimed that it was based on the true story of a courtesan named Umrao. How much truth there is to that claim, we will probably never know, but if there was a real person named Umrao Jaan and if this story is anything to go by, then she truly must have been a tragic figure.

Umrao Jaan was not born a harlot, as no prostitute ever is, but by a cruel hand that life deals her, she becomes one. Her life started as a young innocent girl named Amiran, who is kidnapped by an enemy of her fathers in Faizabad and then sold to a brothel in Lucknow. In such an unenviable position, she is reborn and schooled into a courtesan. Dancing, singing and generally being submissive to would-be customers are the ways of the trade, but it is poetry that is her passion. This passion initially is kept secret and only revealed to those close to her, but gradually it becomes a trademark and in the end, as it turns out, a means of livelihood for her.

At the heart of this movie is obviously Rekha, who was probably never been more beautiful or more powerful as she is in the title role. Bringing just about the right amount of naiveté, disillusionment and composed defiance, her performance makes this movie click and like the shining sun, has the other characters revolving around her. Her seductive eyes and exquisite features project all the elements needed to bring Umrao Jaan to life. Add to this her acting chops and Urdu dialogue delivery, and you have a class act that is truly timeless. Rekha, apparently had to work hard at her Urdu to make it believable and it shows.

Silsila Hindi Romantic Movie 1981

Silsila, a cinematic examination of an extra-marital affair, was made more remarkable by director Yash Chopra's casting coup - he signed Amitabh Bachchan, his wife Jaya and actress Rekha in the roles that formed the three angles of the film's love triangle, one which appeared to mirror a rumoured real life triangle involving the three actors.

Silsila is a 1981 Hindi romantic drama film directed by Yash Chopra. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Rekha and Kulbhushan Kharbanda, with Shashi Kapoor in a special appearance. The movie is said to be loosely inspired by the alleged real-life love triangle of its three stars, Amitabh-Jaya-Rekha, the most talked about love affair back then.On his last birthday, Yash Chopra revealed that he originally wanted to cast Parveen Babi and Smita Patil opposite Bachchan, but after consulting him, he chose to cast Jaya Bhaduri and Rekha in their respective roles.

Cast

Amitabh Bachchan as Amit Malhotra

Jaya Bachchan as Shobha Malhotra

Rekha as Chandni

Shashi Kapoor as Sqdr. Leader Shekhar Malhotra (Special Appreance)

Sanjeev Kumar as Dr. V.K. Anand

Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Inspector Kulbhushan

Sudha Chopra as Shobha's mother

Sushma Seth as Actress

Directed by Yash Chopra

Produced by Yash Chopra

Written by Mrs. Preeti Bedi,Yash Chopra,Sagar Sarhadi,Romesh Sharma

Release Date   29 July 1981

Interesting Facts

Silsila was the last film that Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha made together. The actress had a cameo in R Balki's Shamitabh this year, which starred Mr Bachchan, but the former co-stars had no scenes together.

This was also the last film to feature Rekha with Amitabh Bachchan, putting an end to this popular on-screen pair and their rumored off-screen affair. The film did only average business at the box office, faring much below expectations. Since its release, however, the film has gained a strong cult following and is today considered a classic in its treatment of the themes of abandonment and familial responsibility. Producer Yash Chopra considered this film and Lamhe his favourites. The movie's music became a "superhit" upon the release of the film and continues to be as popular.

Sanjeev Kumar had earlier refused to be a part of the film as that would mean that he would have to play second fiddle to Amitabh Bachchan for the third time after Sholay and Trishul. However, Yash Chopra insisted on narrating him the story of the film. Halfway through the narration of the story when they reached the scene where Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh , Rekha and Jaya are sitting in a restaurant and Amitabh hits the dance floor with Rekha and not Jaya, Sanjeev asked Yash to stop. He called his office and directed them to allot dates for the film. Reportedly, he had always enjoyed working with Jaya as he felt that she helped in enhancing his acting ability and matched his performance. 

The original star cast was Amitabh Bachchan, Padmini Kolhapure and Parveen Babi. But then there were several cast changes for this movie. Later on Smita Patil replaced Padmini Kolhapure. But at the end by the recommendation by Amitji, Jaya Bhaduri and Rekha were finalized.

The Holi song "Rang Barse" was sung by Amitabh Bachchan and was composed by his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

Musicians 'Shiv Kumar Sharma' and 'Hari Prasad Chaurasia''s debut as the composer. The duo is formerly known as Shiv-Hari.

This is the only movie in which Amitabh Bachchan is the younger brother of Shashi Kapoor. All their other movies in which they are brothers, Amitabh Bachchan is the elder one.