Umrao Jaan

Umrao Jaan 1981 poster for sale.

Featured here is a rare vintage Bollywood poster of the award winning 1981 Hindi film co-written and directed by Muzaffar Ali that starred Rekha in the titular role of courtesan Umrao Jaan.

Based on an Urdu novel written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa published in 1899 (titled “Umrao Jaan Ada”), the film tells the story of a Lucknow based courtesan and poet called “Umrao Jaan.”

The period musical drama also starred Farooq Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah, Raj Babbar, Dina Pathak, Prema Narayan, Bharat Bhushan, Mukri and Satish Shah in supporting roles.

For her stellar performance in Umrao Jaan (1981), Rekha won the National Film Award for Best Actress. Although only moderately successful during it’s release, the film has amassed a cult following over the years and been elevated to “magnum opus” status, making this original Bollywood movie poster, highly collectible!

Printed and circulated during the release run of the film in north Indian theaters (somewhere in the late 1980s), this Umrao Jaan poster was designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

This vintage Bollywood poster was originally designed in mixed media format by a Bollywood poster art studio in Delhi and features a striking design.

A stunning still picture of protagonist Rekha is seen over painted, spanning the entire length of the poster. The artwork captures the actress in her spectacular best in an iconic dancing pose, which stands out in contrast against a minimal blue background.

Typography used in this poster is primarily in English, with only the title translated to Devanagari Hindi and Urdu. The main English title appears in a striking calligraphy styled font, using a combination of red and black shades.

An announcement on the top of the poster declares the film’s stellar success: “Honoured with 4 National Awards,” with each award highlighted inside a speech bubble below.

The soundtrack album of the film was composed by Khayyam, while lyrics were penned by Shahryar. It went on to become a rage throughout the nation and is considered the greatest ever penned in Bollywood. Songs like “Dil Cheez Kya Hai” and “In Aankhon Ki Masti” sung by Asha Bhosle are fondly remembered and played till today.

Following the legendary success of the film, a remake was released in 2006 starring former Miss World Aishwarya Rai as Umrao Jaan.