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LUCKNOW: They rejected him when he contested against A B Vajpayee from here in the 1998 LS elections. But when it comes to Umrao Jaan, Lucknow swears by Muzaffar Ali.
Muzaffar bhai is a towering presence in Lucknow. After all, it is his Umrao Jaan that brought in focus a bygone era. Hence the upstart Umrao Jaan Ada — portrayed by Aishwarya Rai — who prances around in Rajasthani havelis and her beau who wears Rajasthani headgear is an outrage that most reject.
As the countdown for Umrao Jaan II begins, Lakhnavis are displaying all the signs of fierce sibling rivalry. From hate mail to a whisper campaign against a 'farzi Umrao transported from the deserts', the film has stirred their imagination like never before.
"Each set in the old movie looked like the past come alive. One hardly gets the feeling watching the new film's promos," declared Zulkif Rizvi, a die-hard Muzaffar fan, who said he was shocked to see mountains and hillocks in the promos and suggested that director J P Dutta take a crash course in geography.
He was reflecting a major reason why Lakhnavis would love to hate Aishwarya's Umrao — Dutta's reported claim that he went to Rajasthan due to poor upkeep of the old monuments in the city. The verdict is out — at least for Lucknow — before the film's slated release date of November 3.
"Dutta's Umrao may have grandeur and technical gimmickry but it is not half as authentic as what Muzaffar Ali showed," said Nawab Jafar Abdullah, scion of the Awadh royal family, who "played an active role from location hunting to the release" of Muzaffar Ali's film.
Jafar claims his pronouncement is based on pure logic and not on emotions. "No nawab in Awadh ever wore headgear like the 'safa' Dutta has shown Abhishek Bachchan sport in the film," said Jafar, adding that a 'safa' was worn by Rajputs or zamindars, but never by Muslim royalty.
"Ali had taken great pains in showcasing the culture of that era," he said, adding that he had accompanied Ali on extensive visits to old kothawalis to learn about the mannerism, costumes and dance movements of Lucknow's Nawabi era.
Historian Yogesh Praveen agreed, saying Ali gave immense attention to details and portrayed "true Oudh" — as the kingdom was referred to in British times.
Praveen, who was part of Ali's two-man research team, said costumes worn by Rekha were actually copied after carefully examining designs from local rajwadas (royal families).
"Articles on the sets were actually borrowed from royal houses of Salempur, Malihabad or Kakori. Ali would ensure that even a flower vase used must belong to the particular era of Nawab Naseeruddin Haider. 'Itni imandari milni mushkil hai (it is difficult to come across such honest commitment)," he said.
But for most people like lawyer Ibne Safi, "The new Umrao is a beauty without a soul."
Muzaffar bhai is a towering presence in Lucknow. After all, it is his Umrao Jaan that brought in focus a bygone era. Hence the upstart Umrao Jaan Ada — portrayed by Aishwarya Rai — who prances around in Rajasthani havelis and her beau who wears Rajasthani headgear is an outrage that most reject.
As the countdown for Umrao Jaan II begins, Lakhnavis are displaying all the signs of fierce sibling rivalry. From hate mail to a whisper campaign against a 'farzi Umrao transported from the deserts', the film has stirred their imagination like never before.
"Each set in the old movie looked like the past come alive. One hardly gets the feeling watching the new film's promos," declared Zulkif Rizvi, a die-hard Muzaffar fan, who said he was shocked to see mountains and hillocks in the promos and suggested that director J P Dutta take a crash course in geography.
He was reflecting a major reason why Lakhnavis would love to hate Aishwarya's Umrao — Dutta's reported claim that he went to Rajasthan due to poor upkeep of the old monuments in the city. The verdict is out — at least for Lucknow — before the film's slated release date of November 3.
"Dutta's Umrao may have grandeur and technical gimmickry but it is not half as authentic as what Muzaffar Ali showed," said Nawab Jafar Abdullah, scion of the Awadh royal family, who "played an active role from location hunting to the release" of Muzaffar Ali's film.
Jafar claims his pronouncement is based on pure logic and not on emotions. "No nawab in Awadh ever wore headgear like the 'safa' Dutta has shown Abhishek Bachchan sport in the film," said Jafar, adding that a 'safa' was worn by Rajputs or zamindars, but never by Muslim royalty.
"Ali had taken great pains in showcasing the culture of that era," he said, adding that he had accompanied Ali on extensive visits to old kothawalis to learn about the mannerism, costumes and dance movements of Lucknow's Nawabi era.
Historian Yogesh Praveen agreed, saying Ali gave immense attention to details and portrayed "true Oudh" — as the kingdom was referred to in British times.
Praveen, who was part of Ali's two-man research team, said costumes worn by Rekha were actually copied after carefully examining designs from local rajwadas (royal families).
"Articles on the sets were actually borrowed from royal houses of Salempur, Malihabad or Kakori. Ali would ensure that even a flower vase used must belong to the particular era of Nawab Naseeruddin Haider. 'Itni imandari milni mushkil hai (it is difficult to come across such honest commitment)," he said.
But for most people like lawyer Ibne Safi, "The new Umrao is a beauty without a soul."
Not surprising that this happened......JP Dutta has always had a Rajasthan fixation.
