Umrao Jaan

I watched this movie last evening. And I did like it. Surprising?? Guess not. I haven’t watched the Rekha’s version. And yet again, neither has this movie been made to challenge the original, I believe. Many people did not seem to like Don. Some found SRK comic in the role. Of course you wouldn’t like SRK if you compared him to Mr. Bachan. The two of them are in no way comparable. I’m not sure how people would react if only STK tried copying Big B. Thank fully he didn’t. and he needn’t as he has his own ways of acting. Well… this post isn’t about Don. I did want to put so much about it in another post but the laziness in me won over with the excuse of having too much work to be completed.

Coming back to Umrao, the movie as every knows is a good one. Ash’s acting…. no comments. I’ve never liked her after Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. I find her just too artificial. But fortunately for her, the plots of the movies save her from me not liking the movie. Though in this movie I wasn’t able to forget my presence (some movies are so good that I get absorbed in them and forget that I am present. I am all the characters I can see on the screen. This happens most often when I’m reading books.) I cannot appreciate the dance. May be I’m not qualified to do that. But it was not stunning, for me. I loved the songs. Alka ji at her best again. all the songs have been sung by her. And a couple by Richa Sharma.

There’s this bit in the movie that reminded me that how stupid we are and how selfish!! The scene where Umrao’s Mom n bro refuse to accept her. Forget about refusal, the brother, so called, dares to ask her to commit suicide. There isn’t much difference today though. Any brother, if he finds his sis in the state that Umrao is in would undoubtedly do the same. I agree exceptions are always there. And if you are one, mind you, you need to have courage beyond your imagination. Why?? Coz that is how our society is. I hate this crap. And am being subjected to it more often lately. I refuse to understand any of it. Firstly coz it is curbing my happiness. Secondly coz I see things are no longer as they were 10 years ago. Every thing has been changing. And it shall continue to. Then shouldn’t the rules of the game change as well?? Things that were the best back then may not be for us today. Rather things that are really good today were unnecessary back then. Example, the gyms, who needed one a couple of decades back??

I am a Hindu. And I can very well see that no one would be bothered if I have never been to a temple all my life. No one would mind me going to the church as often as the Christians, as long as I have the tag ‘Hindu’ with me. But people would be all words if I chose to marry a Christian. They’d teach n preach me about Hinduism. This teaching shall include good living habits. But it shall also include things that I wouldn’t be able to make sense out of. And neither would they know enough as to why I should follow the rules set by them. Yes, the rules set by my forefathers. The rules that were modified to suit the times. (Like I am doing it today. Well… when I’m on a fast I do not go without eating or drinking anything. I do take coffee from Café Coffee Day or juice. And some times when it turns unbearable I even have fruits. I do not actually know the exact rules of the game and I have molded it to suit me and my life style. And my mom, who never suggested me any kinda fasting is ok with my rules of the game.)

Again this post is neither meant to crib about the society. So I shall stop it here.

As for the movie, it begins a li’l slowly, and remains slow. But you could sure go watch it if you have a liking of any of the following:

1. Ash
2. Songs
3. Story
4. Comparing this to the original