Umrao Jaan (2006)
(J. P. Dutta, India 2006, 188 min., 35mm, Urdu, Hindi w/subtitles)
Stories of Indian Cinema. The latest and arguably most lavish film adaptation of the famous 1899 Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada depicts the life of the titular Lucknow courtesan and poet’s rise to fame and her struggle to find love. Made at a time when the use of Urdu in popular Hindi cinema was almost unthinkable in India and from a director known for his patriotic works, this film is remarkable for J. P. Dutta’s sheer audacity to envision it.
See the exhibition! On view in the museum, Stories of Indian Cinema: Abandoned & Rescued tells the behind-the-scenes tale of how the Eastman Museum acquired the largest collection of contemporary Indian cinema at any museum or archive in the world.