Earlier in June this year, a special screening of the 4K restored version of Muzaffar Ali's Umrao Jaan took place in Mumbai. The film is set to achieve yet another milestone as it will be screened for the first time outside India, at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea International Film Festival. The iconic Rekha is also set to attend the event.
Umrao Jaan has been restored by the National Film Development Corporation-National Film Archive of India under the National Film Heritage Mission.
About The Screening At The Red Sea Film Festival
Muzaffar Ali is also attending the special screening at the Red Sea Film Festival. For the uninitiated, this will form part of the Treasures strand category, dedicated to six classic international and Arab films.
As reported by Variety, Rekha responded to the opportunity: "The opportunity for this soulful film to find a new life after 45 years and connect with a fresh audience at the prestigious Red Sea Film Festival is exhilarating and profoundly meaningful. Witnessing an unprecedented moment when a 1981 classic, Umrao Jaan, is featured in the festival's Treasures strand alongside a film by the luminary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock is not only a blessing but humbling to the core."
Alfred Hitchcock's 1944 psychological thriller Spellbound, starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck, is also on the same list.
She continued, "Umrao Jaan is intrinsically woven into the very fabric of my soul. She is not just a character; she serves as a mirror reflecting the depths of my emotions and dreams. In fact, one could say she mirrors my soul through echoes of many lifetimes, portraying a narrative that transcends millions of heartbeats."
The fifth edition of the Red Sea Film Festival is scheduled for December 4-13 in Jeddah.
About Umrao Jaan
The plot of Umrao Jaan revolves around Amiran (Rekha), who is sold to a brothel by a corrupt policeman after her father testifies against him. Years pass by, and Amiran grows up to become an accomplished poet and a renowned courtesan, known by the name Umrao Jaan.
In A Nutshell
The Rekha-led Umrao Jaan will be screened for the first time at the fifth edition of the Red Sea Film Festival. The actress also described how the film is woven into the "fabric of her soul".