I absolutely loved it when I watched it too.. Aishwarya poured herself into the role. It was really heart-wrenching to watch.
But yes, it could have been shorter by 20 minutes, and the music could have been better - all songs sounded very similar. They should have taken A R Rahman instead of an out of form Anu Malik.
Abhishek was also a misfit for the role.
I thought Umrao Jaan had a dark complexion..
Don't know about the real Umrao, but in the 1981 movie Rekha and another girl are kidnapped and sold when they were little, the other girl is adopted by a good family, they refuse Rekha cz of her complexion, then she's sold to a brothel...
Some people might be shocked to read this but the original Umrao Jaan is BORING AS HELL...
Try watching it for yourselves, it's available online... it took me about 3 attempts to try to watch it years ago... the soundtrack is beautiful and so is Rekha's performance... but the film itself is excruciating.. I think people hail it so much because of the two strong factors I mentioned but the actual experience of sitting and watching the movie is painful.
The new version with Aishwarya is no better. I also watched it in the cinema, expecting great things, but apart from Aishwarya's amazing performance, there was nothing else on offer. The soundtrack is so so disgusting too.
Both women looked absolutely incredible though ❤️
Haven't seen the 2006 version but the original is a very well made movie...It's not your typical BW movie
No cliches or manipulations
Yes it's not fast paced but it's based on a book about a mid 19th century courtesan set in Lucknow, so it rings true
If you're not interested in the life story of a mid 19th century courtesan set in Lucknow, you shouldn't watcht it... Jut watch the songs... Even they're slow paced
that's far from the truth and you know it. There is a difference between a film tanking and a performance being panned, and here it was clearly a case of the former.
I watched Umrao Jaan (2006) at the cinemas and was traumatised by how depressing the film was. Jesus. Nothing good came here way. She lived a miserable life and met a lonely and even more miserable end. Aishwarya looked beyond beautiful though.
Pinjar could give Umrao Jaan a tough competition in showcasing miserable life of the female lead
A beautiful movie overall though.
And yes Umrao Jaan 2006 was good too. I loved Aish in it.
I might be in the minority but I am not very fond of Rekha and I find her boring. Never really watched the original one though songs are amazing.