Umrao Jaan

Rekha Umrao Jaan movie poster for sale.

Featured here for sale is a very 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 movie poster, highly collectible!

Printed and circulated during the initial release run of the film in theaters (somewhere in the early 1980s), this Umrao Jaan movie 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. She appears dressed in all finery, dancing in a regal hall with a chandelier seen on the ceiling. Set against a dark background, the artwork stands out.

Typography used in this poster is primarily in English, with the title translated to Devanagari Hindi in blue at the bottom as well as to Urdu in red at the top. The titles appear in a striking calligraphy styled font, using a combination of red and black shades.

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.