{"id":54022,"date":"2025-11-10T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/?post_type=press&p=54022"},"modified":"2025-11-10T13:32:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T10:32:27","slug":"rekha-to-attend-red-sea-film-festival-with-the-international-premiere-of-restored-classic-umrao-jaan","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/ar\/press\/rekha-to-attend-red-sea-film-festival-with-the-international-premiere-of-restored-classic-umrao-jaan\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0627\u0644\u0645\u0645\u062b\u0644\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0647\u0646\u062f\u064a\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0634\u0647\u064a\u0631\u0629 “\u0631\u064a\u062e\u0627 \u062c\u0646\u0634\u0627” \u062a\u0634\u0627\u0631\u0643 \u0641\u064a \u0639\u0631\u0636 \u0627\u0644\u0641\u064a\u0644\u0645 \u0627\u0644\u0643\u0644\u0627\u0633\u064a\u0643\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0645\u064f\u0631\u0645\u0645 \u062d\u062f\u064a\u062b\u064b\u0627”\u0623\u0648\u0645\u0631\u0627\u0648 \u062c\u0627\u0646” \u062e\u0644\u0627\u0644 \u0645\u0647\u0631\u062c\u0627\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0628\u062d\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u062d\u0645\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u0633\u064a\u0646\u0645\u0627\u0626\u064a \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0648\u0644\u064a"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Iconic actress will make a rare appearance to present the 1981 film, hailed as one of India\u2019s finest cinematic achievements, with its director Muzaffar Ali<\/em><\/p>\n\n

The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) will be welcoming iconic Indian actress Rekha (Bhanurekha Ganesan) to this year\u2019s edition of the festival. Described by critics as one of India\u2019s finest ever actresses, Rekha will attend the Festival to present her restored 1981 classic \u2018Umrao Jaan\u2019 in its international premiere.<\/p>\n\n

Showing as part of the festival\u2019s Treasures programme, the film is a beloved heritage work set in 1857 Lucknow and tells the story of a local tawaif and poet, and her rise to fame. It is considered one of India\u2019s greatest cinematic achievements and its director, Muzaffar Ali, will also attend the Red Sea screening.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cUmrao Jaan is intrinsically woven into the very fabric of my soul,\u201d said Rekha in a statement. \u201cShe is not just a character; she serves as a mirror reflecting the depths of my emotions and dreams. In fact, one could say that she mirrors my soul through the echoes of many lifetimes, portraying a narrative that transcends millions of heartbeats. The opportunity for this soulful film to find a new life after 45 years and connect with a fresh audience at the prestigious Red Sea Film Festival is exhilarating and profoundly meaningful. And witnessing an unprecedented moment when a 1981 classic, Umrao Jaan, is featured in the Festival’s Treasures strand alongside a film by the luminary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock is not only a blessing but humbling to the core.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Umrao Jaan is an adaptation of Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s 1899 Urdu novel\u00a0Umrao Jaan Ada, considered a classic of Indian cinema immortalised by the music of Khayyam, the Urdu poetry of Shahryar, Asha Bhosle, and the exquisite beauty and iconic performance by Rekha in the lead role. Ali, a multifaceted artist and connoisseur of poetry, created this period drama, set in 1857 Lucknow, as a souvenir of Awadhi culture, fabricating an entire milieu through resplendent costume design and detailed art direction. Though an independent arthouse film made outside the syntax of mainstream cinema, it achieved a cult status.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cTo discover an audience today that still resonates deeply with the narrative and emotional core of this film fills my heart with unparalleled joy, pride and a sense of hope for the future,\u2019 she added. \u2018It reassures me that there will always be stories and emotions that do not merely fade with the passage of time, but instead linger in the gentle whispers of the wind and the shifting sands of memory. These timeless tales wait patiently for the right moment to burst forth, capturing the imaginations of new generations and allowing them to be rediscovered and appreciated in all their glory.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u201cFor this remarkable phenomenon, I am eternally grateful, as it highlights the universality of human experience, reminding us that while time may change our circumstances, the essence of our stories\u2014and the emotions they evoke are written on every wave of the sea, every particle of sand, every relic, every stone, every cloud in the sky and every shining star from here to eternity\u2026and\u00a0that<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is Umrao Jaan.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iconic actress will make a rare appearance to present the 1981 film, hailed as one of India\u2019s finest cinematic achievements, with its director Muzaffar Ali The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) will be welcoming iconic Indian actress Rekha (Bhanurekha Ganesan) to this year\u2019s edition of the festival. Described by critics as one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":54021,"template":"","class_list":["post-54022","press","type-press","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/54022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}