Umrao Jaan- a review

‘Justaju jiski thi, usko toh na paaya hum ne
Iss bahane se magar dekh li duniya hum ne’

No translation can do justice to the depth, meaning and sadness in these lines which loosely mean “I did not find what i had been searching for, but on this pretext, I saw what the world is like” No, not even close.

After the recent demise of Khayyam, memories of the movie ‘Umrao Jaan’ (1981) were revived, especially for its soulful music and poignant lyrics. Which is what sent me looking for it on YouTube.

Set in 19th century Lucknow, the story begins when we see young Ameeran who is being lovingly decked up for her engagement, while the neighbourhood women sing ‘kaahe ko byaahe bides, are lakhiyan baabul mohe’ (O’ my father, why are you marrying me off to a stranger).

A few scenes later, we see Ameeran being kidnapped by a vengeful neighbour and sold to Khanum Jaan, the owner of a high-class brothel in Lucknow. There, she is lovingly brought up by Hussainy, the faithful servant and learns music, dance and poetry. There is a Maulvi Sahab who encourages her to compose her own verses, one of which marks her debut into the shadowy world of kothas and mujras; which is visited by wealthy, pleasure-seeking nawaabs. Ameeran has become Umrao Jaan.

The story of Umrao Jaan is one of betrayal, loss and longing. At every stage in her life she is let down by those she is close to, especially the men. Her father who is unable to find her when she is kidnapped, the rich, handsome Nawab who loves her but finally marries the woman chosen for him by his family, her companion/pimp from the kotha who is attracted to her but also sees her as a meal ticket, and her own brother who turns her away at the end of the movie, because she is a ‘tawaif’. The women- Khanum Jaan and Hussainy call her ‘beti’ and treat her like a daughter, but are determined that she has no life outside the kotha.

Umrao’s quest or ‘justo ju’ for love and belonging take her from the ‘chowk’ of Lucknow (the area where courtesans dwell) to Kanpur (where she faces her former lover- Nawab Sultan) to Faizabad, the town where she was born and lived with her parents before being kidnapped. Here she is briefly reunited with her mother but told to leave by her brother. This is where she sings the heart wrenching ‘Yeh kya jagah hai doston, yeh kaun sa dayaar hai’. She’s back in her home-town but she can never go home.
When she sings ” bulaa rahaa hain kaun mujh ko, chilamanon ke us taraf, mere liye bhee kyaa koi, udaas bekaraar hai’ (who is calling me from the other side of those blinds? Is there someone who is missing me, longing for me?), it is for her mother and not some long-lost lover.

The film won accolades for its music, direction and performances and they were all well-deserved. Each mujra is a gem, the lyrics and the music are so seamlessly, perfectly brought to life on screen by Asha Bhosale and Rekha, that the viewer doesn’t know where the appreciation for each begins or ends. ” In aankhon ki masti ke mastaane hazaaron hain ” Is the ‘masti’ in Rekha’s heavy-lidded, sensuous eyes, or the sultry crooning voice of Asha Bhosale? Or is it the slow languorous beat of the music which entices the Nawab (and the viewer) to become one of the ‘deewaane hazaaron’.

Each ghazal and mujra is a part of Umrao’s life and tells her story. When it ends with her return to the kotha in Lucknow, gazing at her reflection in the mirror, you feel her pain but you also see her strength. And you realize what she meant when she sang
“Umra kaa lambaa safar, tay kiyaa tanahaa hum ne,
justajoo jis kee thee us ko to naa paayaa hum ne”