Umrao Jaan

Umrao Jaan poster for sale.

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

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 poster, highly collectible!

Printed and circulated during the first i.e. debut release of the film in theaters (somewhere in 1981), this Umrao Jaan poster was originally designed for publicity of the film but never ended up being used.

This original Bollywood poster features the lead protagonist of the film, Rekha in her spectacular best in an iconic dancing pose. A large still photograph of Rekha dressed in all finery, dancing gracefully while seated on the floor is seen prominently in this Umrao Jaan poster.

A setting sun is seen above the Lucknow cityscape in this old Rekha poster. A black photo framed border is seen around it. Typography used in this poster is primarily in English, with the title translated in Devanagari Hindi as well as in Urdu at the bottom. The titles appear in a striking calligraphy styled font, using a combination of red and white hues, with a yellow border.

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.