Umrao Jaan lead casts is almost done

After roping Aishwarya Rai and Shabana Azmi to play in his film JP Dutta has signed the super hit star, Abhishek Bachchan to star opposite Ash.

Aishwarya Rai will portray a courtesan and Shabana Azmi will be her on screen mother with Abhishek playing the role of a dreamy, poetic man who very well understands Umrao’s emotions and sensibilities.

Dutta launched Abhishek into the bollywood stardom with ‘Refugee‘. They both then teamed for LOC Kargil, which unfortunately fell flat on the box office. Now Dutta is counting on Abhishek to play Umrao Jaan’s lover. May be, Abhishek presence will do justice to the film or vice versa.

“My ‘Umrao Jaan‘ is a totally different film based on a totally different screenplay,” quotes Dutta as saying. “My father (O.P. Dutta) wrote his script nearly 20 years ago. He originally wanted to cast Nimmi as Umrao. But I guess I was destined to do the needful, with Ash.”

“If you remember, I was supposed to launch Abhishek in a period film based on the life of Bahadur Shah Zafar and his son. It was also supposed to feature Dilip Kumar. That project unfortunately got shelved. Instead, Refugee happened. But my dream of casting Abhishek in the classic mould did not die.”

“After Ash was cast as Umrao, I needed a man who could look like a poet and a dreamer, and at the same time match her as an ideal partner. When I closed my eyes, I could only see Abhishek.” Thus followed JP’s verdict “Abhishek Bachchan is my hero in Umrao Jaan,”

The lyrics of Umrao Jaan will be done by none other than Javed Akhtar who wrote amazing lyrics for JP’s films in the past like ‘Border’ ‘Refugee’ and ‘LOC’ and composer Anu Malik.

Abhishek is the hottest star and counting for No1. position but he remains down to earth and untouched by the glitter and glamour of tinsel town as he said “With JP Saab there’s no question of a no. Even if he told me to do one passing shot I’d happily do it,”

Continues the grateful protege, “Everything I know about acting is because of JP saab. I haven’t asked him about my role in Umrao Jaan.”

“Umrao Jaan is about Umrao’s search for love; Abhishek will represent love in all its facets,” says JP appreciatively.

Shabana Azmi met J.P. Dutta at the recent IIFA awards in Amsterdam and with characteristic bluntness told him: “No one can play my mother’s role except me.”

It must be remembered that Shabana’s mother, the indomitable Shaukat Azmi, had played “Umrao” Rekha’s mother in the 1981 version of the film by Muzaffar Ali.

JP Dutta cleared the mud as he quoted “Let me say it again…my ‘Umrao Jaan’ is my ‘Umrao Jaan’. It doesn’t matter who made it with whom in the cast in the past.”

We just expect a great movie out of you Dutta!