‘Can create Umrao Jaan again if I find another actor like Rekha’: Muzaffar Ali

Producer-director Muzaffar Ali tells Roshmila Bhattacharya about the making of a musical regarded as a classic. It returned to theatres last Friday.

On June 27, 'Umrao Jaan', restored in 4K resolution, returned to theatres. At the Mumbai premiere, Muzaffar Ali wondered nervously how a new audience would react to a period musical drama, carrying not an ounce of over-indulgence, made 44 years ago. “Bollywood has gone over-the-top, using 10 dancers where one is enough. I believe having even two dancers in the frame divides the pain and the essence of the ghazal,” the producer-director explains.

The 1981 film is based on Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s 1899 novel, 'Umrao Jaan Ada', which traces the life of a Lucknow courtesan and poetess. Since the screenplay is woven around just 5-10 incidents, Ali reasons it could have been any book, he was simply inspired by the story of a vulnerable woman living in the Lucknow of his grandparents’ time, and was happy to showcase his Awadh culture. “That became both my visual and emotional vocabulary, challenging me to convey the disintegration of a feudal system and the evolution of culture in a single frame,” he elucidates.

Rekha as Umrao won the National Award for ‘Best Actress’. The filmmaker didn’t have to sell the role too hard. She accepted on pure intuition and face value, and he left it to her to discover the emotions inherent in the simple story. “As Umrao goes through innumerable trials post interval, Rekha conveys her pain through her eyes, lips, her entire persona, along with music and dance. People have reacted to that, even today when there’s a disconnect between what you see in the eyes and what the body language is telling you,” he explains.

Ali attributes the recent trend of re-releasing films to OTT, which has left filmmakers confused about how to tell a story. Many opt for mini-series. “To relive the theatre experience, you need big budget films. They come with the pressure of filling seats and earning Rs 100 crore in the first weekend. In all the noise, some sensitivity is lost,” he sighs.

Could he make ‘Umrao Jaan’ today? “Sure, if I can find an actress like Rekha who’s talented and while popular, has a clean canvas. Also, someone who believes in me because without conviction, no story can be told,” Ali avers, admitting he’d replace some scenes and redo the costumes in 10-15 scenes. “I have more knowledge of textiles now. In the ’80s, I was grounded in nostalgia,” he shares. Also, he’d like to explore the back story of the bandit, Faiz Ali. “Back then, Raj Babbar was the busiest star and the only one I had to beg for dates.”

What Ali wouldn’t change is the music. “I don’t know who after Khayyam can do it. It is all body music now, easily replaced by something peppier,” he rues, distraught that poets too are wrongly briefed and frustrated from being put in the same mould repeatedly. That’s why he composed the music for the album 'Husn-e-Jaana' himself and also scored 'Raqs-e-Bismil’ with Abida Parveen. “I spent a lot of time on the music and lyrics of 'Umrao Jaan', improvising and improving, inspiring and being inspired. I was fortunate to have a team that excelled despite not being from Lucknow, and of course, the maestro, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan,” he asserts, sharing that Rekha started shooting with the song 'Justuju jiss ki thi', which brings Umrao back to the present while occasionally reflecting on the past. “Since we shot the flashback portions between Farooq Shaikh’s Nawab Sultan and her later, I had to imagine their moments of intimacy and that helped me dive deeper,” he muses.

Has he seen J P Dutta’s 2006 'Umrao Jaan'? “I was curious, but thinking I’d get a little cheesed off, I decided to protect myself. So did others who over the years have come to own my 'Umrao Jaan',” he smiles.