Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Yasmin_07 I didn't enjoy the film only because the main cast lack acting talent. People cannot compare this to Rekha's umrao Jaan. The first version cannot be outdone. Rekha's dancing, the music, the storyline and the acting were all superb. You felt so sorry for Umrao jaan in the original version.Fast forward to the 21st century and all that has changed is the outfits, the actors and the scenery. Aishwarya doesn't have much going for her in the dancing or acting departments. She had her looks but even then she seemed quite forced and in some shots quite creepy. Her dancing is always done too fast as if trying to prove a point. The music was absolutely beautiful however. The pain of Umrao jaan was caught perfectly and there was so much emotion in the voice of Alka. Abishek does not suit the role of hero either. Shabana azmi played the role of a plotting older woman who picks and chooses which dancer will entertain "suitors". All in all I will say that this film was a disaster. Why remake a film when the original has nothing wrong with it? Most who see the original fall in love, feel the pain of Umrao, understand history and gaining an understanding to how easy it was for women of a good home to be snatched away.I recommend the original. This should not have been made however I am thankful for the voice of Alka.

Peter Young J.P. Dutta directs Umrao Jaan, the second film adaptation of Mirza Hadi Ruswa's 1905 novel "Umrao Jaan Ada", which tells the story of the famous Lucknow courtesan. Although Dutta claimed to have based the film on the novel, it is clearly more a remake of the 1981 film version, directed by Muzaffar Ali and starring Rekha. The 1981 film was lavish, powerful and beautiful and is a famous musical classic. Rekha's heartfelt performance as Umrao Jaan remains till date one of the finest performances of not only her career but of Indian cinema in general. So obviously one would go on to compare the two versions, and needless to say, the 1981 film is and will always be associated with this title. This new version is not very bad. It is pleasing to the eye, it has some nice songs, great costumes, and Aishwarya Rai looks impossibly beautiful. However, the film is lacking in substance, in emotion and it lacks the power to excite.In comparison to Rekha, Aishwarya Rai is frankly more of an amateur (and I'm not one of those who hate her). Rekha's line delivery, her non-verbal emotions, her pain, her expressive eyes being occasionally filled with tears, and above all her dance numbers which are some of the most memorable in the history of Indian films, were so soulful. Aishwarya, though stunning in looks and evidently trying to do her best, simply does not have the ability to recreate this magic. She does have her moments, but that's as far as it goes and it is hardly a good performance. Moreover, her dance numbers are overly mechanical. Anu Malik's soundtrack is good and the great Alka Yagnik sings the songs beautifully, but then again, when compared to Khayyam's unforgettable songs performed to perfection by Asha Bhosle in the original version, is nothing exceptional. Another much talked about role in the film is that of Khanum Jaan, played by Shabana Azmi. Azmi plays a role her own mother, Shaukat Azmi, played in the original version. She seems to have a lot of fun with the minimal job her character lets her do and surprisingly does not really take her role seriously, as she rightly admitted in an interview. That's okay, even accomplished actors like Azmi are allowed to have fun, and that's what actually makes her portrayal the more so entertaining. As for Abhishek Bachchan, the less said about him, the better. Even on its own, Umrao Jaan does not hold water. It is melodramatic, uninspiring and poorly directed. Aishwarya's presence and the film's visuals cannot save it from being just another unsuccessful and forgettable attempt to remake a classic.

Ahmad AYAZ I saw both old (1981) and new Umrao Jaan (2006). The old Umrao, I think, is one of the best movies (Indian or otherwise), at par with any famed-Satyajit Ray. It should NOT be even compared with the new Umrao Jaan. The problem is that it is so good that Muzaffar Ali (the producer of old Umrao from Lucknow where most of the movie unfolds) perhaps cannot make a better movie all his life.The old Umrao is very restrained, and therefore, a believable story of a Lucknow tawa-if (courtesan, geisha). There are no brave heroes (all flee 1857 Sepoy Mutiny against the English), the robber Faiz Ali dies in an unheroic escape. Owner of house of tawaifs, Madam Khanum, is selfish and exploitative. Nawab Sultan, one of the first clients of Umrao, sees Umarao what she is - a tawaif and abandons her with no compunctions to marry into the wealthy family of her cousin; others hurl insults at Umrao. There is a thin line (if any) between a tawaif and a prostitute/hooker - old Umrao sleeps with Nawab Sultan as a matter of routine, and then with the robber Faiz Ali. In old Umrao Urdu poetry (ghazal) is shown to be pervasive in the lives of tawaifs and all around her. The dialogs are in lyrical, delicate and local Urdu, difficult to be appreciated in translation. In old Umrao, acting is superb by all. Songs and Indian Kathak dances (minus one by Nawab Sultan) are mostly in context.Good movies like good books can enrich and teach. Most Indian movies are trash, fantastic escape from reality but not old Umrao Jaan. You could see Lucknow of a bygone era. Sample these:pigeon flight contests (or kabootar baazi, a flock breaking pigeons mid flight from a rival flock) - Indian hop scotch (ikkal dukkal) - the earthen stove (or choolha) - the custom of eating with hands in the kitchen on the floor near choolha - the custom of offering for a saint's shrine (nazar at durgaah) - the custom of arranged marriage between Muslim cousins - the custom of purdah, - the custom of eating betel leaf (or paans) and hookah smoking - the tradition of sellers of bangles and shawls coming home - the incompetent contemptible and indolent nawabs who would sell part of the estate for a courtesanSee old Umrao if you have not yet; see it again if you have once. Technically, the photography in old Umrao is not as high quality as in the new one but then in 25 years cameras have improved a lot.Old Umrao gets 9/10; the new 3/10.

vinnimishra An average movie. Aish is NO match of Rekha in terms of acting and expressions. Moreover, songs in the movie are so so and cannot be compared with Ghazals sung by evergreen Asha Bhonsley. There was an attempt to add glamor in the movie but original script was not worked upon as meticulously as was done in the original movie. However, there were some plus points; individual performances by Kalbhushan Kharbanda and Shabana Azmi were stunning. Aish also acted very well in some scenes. Music was not bad in one or two songs. Male actors like Abhishak and Sunil Shetty were so so in their performance. Overall this was an average movie which failed to satisfy the viewers.