From India, a Courtesan’s Misfortune
By ANDY WEBSTER
O, the price of being beautiful. “Umrao Jaan” — a retelling of a historical Indian tale covered in a 1981 Bollywood classic — might
also be a commentary on its star, Aishwarya Rai. Ms. Rai, often hailed as the queen of Bollywood, has for many a global allure, calling to mind that of Brigitte Bardot or Sophia Loren. But you hope Ms. Rai does not suffer for her art as much as her character does.Ms. Rai plays Ameeran, the daughter of a man who testified against a criminal, Dilawar Khan. Khan kidnaps her and sells her to a maternal madam (a vivid Shabana Azmi), who changes Ameeran’s name to Umrao Jaan and grooms her into a performing courtesan.
In music-video-like song sequences, Umrao enchants a dashing but dissolute noble, Nawab Sultan (Abhishek Bachchan), who, having shamed his family with their liaison, abandons her.
More misfortune follows: Umrao is assaulted by her surrogate brother; British troops kill her countrymen; a visit home ends in rejection by her family, who condemn her station. As her looks fade, the aging Umrao gains wisdom.
The whims of men can be terrible to live by, but too many scenes exploit Ms. Rai’s tearful, screen-engulfing eyes. Bathos and weak dubbing don’t help. But the actress’s presence is undeniable. Ms. Rai has Western films coming; “Umrao Jaan” seems like a way station on her path to international success.
Via NY Times
the movie umrao jaan….. I should say was not up to th emark…. It had no comparison with the old umrao …… just to check out more movies and more info about out bollywood and our daily serials….. I should suggest u to check http://broadband.indya.com/…….
Posted by: bizzshow | January 31, 2007 10:08 PM | Permalink to Comment