UMRAO JAAN
Genre
Drama
Running time
145 minutes
Year
1981
Language
Hindi and Urdu
Subtitle
English and Arabic
Country
India
Director
Muzaffar Ali
Bio
Producer
Muzaffar Ali
Cast
Rekha Ganeshan, Farooq Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah, Raj Babbar, Shaukat Kaifi
Scriptwriter
Muzaffar Ali, Javed Siddiqui, Shama Zaidi
Umrao Jaan by Muzaffar Ali, is an adaptation of Mirza Hadi Ruswa's 1899 Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada, which tells the story of a Lucknow tawaif and poet, and her rise to fame. It’s 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 the superstar 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.
Other movies
ALL THAT'S LEFT OF YOU
Director: Cherien Dabis
This compelling family drama traces three generations of Palestinians from 1948-2022, revealing the profound impacts of the Nakba. The story begins in 1988 with Noor, a man who joins a protest that turns violent in the West Bank. Decades later his mother, Hanan, recounts her son’s story, starting with the 1948 expulsion of his grandfather from Jaffa. Amid the hardship, the family holds on to the hope of returning to their ancestral home. A love story between Hanan and her husband Salim serves as a beacon of light. Through intimate, moving performances, this film explores how trauma and heritage shape the bonds between a grandfather, a father and son, while filled with moments of joy, love and humor.
LOST LAND
Director: Akio Fujimoto
In this quietly powerful, first-ever Rohingya-language feature, Japanese filmmaker Akio Fujimoto offers a haunting, intimate portrait of two siblings fleeing persecution in Myanmar. With nothing but vague directions and each other, nine-year-old Somira and her younger brother Shafi begin a harrowing journey to join an uncle in Malaysia, crossing borders by sea and land and navigating a world shaped by smugglers, fear and exploitation. With a cast of non-professional actors, most of whom lived refugee experiences, the film blends realism with lyrical restraint. Eschewing melodrama for quiet observation, Fujimoto captures the disorientation of displacement and the uncertainty of fragile hopes. Lost Land is a timely, deeply human reflection on survival, resilience and the Rohingya’s eternal search for a place to call home.
THE WORLD OF LOVE
Director: Yoon Ga-Eun
How do we rebuild our sense of self after deep emotional wounds? The World Of Love, the latest from Korean director Yoon Ga-eun, offers a moving portrait of a teenager navigating trauma with unexpected honesty and detachment. Jooin (Seo Su-bin), appears cheerful and outspoken, but her confidence masks a more painful past. Rather than focusing on suffering, the film explores resilience and the subtle power of reclaiming one’s own story. With understated direction and a remarkable performance from Chang Hyae-jin as Jooin’s mother, Yoon brings a lyrical sensitivity to the emotional terrain of family relationships and adolescence. Grounded and quietly courageous, The World Of Love is a deeply human story of survival and the quiet triumph of emotional healing.