Umrao Jaan discovers a womens emotions
Umrao Jaan was not an easy performance for Aishwarya Rai, who has essayed the same role which was played by veteran actress Rekha. Aishwarya is all set to surprise the audience through her latest film. She spoke to IndiaFM about her experience while shooting the movie and more.
Umrao
Jaan
must
have
been
emotionally
as
well
as
physically
taxing
for
you.
This
is
an
emotional
journey
that
follows
an
entire
arch.
It
goes
through
all
the
possible
emotions
that
being
a
woman
you
would
understand.
This
emotional
journey
can
be
very
demanding
and
draining
but
at
the
same
time,
it's
a
catharsis.
It
was
a
wonderful
experience
to
get
the
opportunity
to
actually
go
through
the
arch
of
emotions.
This
provided
the
perfect
experience
for
an
actor
as
I
keep
repeating
myself
to
get
the
opportunity
to
do
precisely
that.
Working
with
the
director
like
J
P
Saab
has
made
that
process
absolutely
satisfying,
inspiring,
challenging
and
forcing
me
to
deliver
possibly
my
best
with
every
moment
on
set.
Umrao
was
known
for
her
songs
and
music.
What
do
you
have
to
say
about
the
music
and
the
story
telling
through
the
songs?
Its
just
sheer
joy
for
me
personally
and
for
the
actor
in
me
because
I
personally
enjoy
music
and
dance.
I
had
always
been
greedy
as
a
member
of
the
film
industry
and
to
get
an
opportunity
to
work
with
this
very
special
combination
of
J
P
Dutta,
Javed
Akhtar
and
Anu
Malik
is
amazing.
Their
music
is
beautiful
and
extremely
memorable.
Every
moment
of
performing
these
songs
was
fulfilling.
Probably
the
media
or
audience
would
expect
seven-eight
item
songs
but
for
Anu
Malik
each
song
is
part
of
the
narrative.
It's
a
part
of
her
journey
and
that's
the
way
he
has
treated
these
songs.
Can
you
tell
us
any
experience
that
touched
your
heart?
Umrao
Jaan
is
a
courtesan
and
a
performer,
not
just
a
dancer
but
a
poetess
as
well.
She
performs
her
poetry
in
the
form
of
dance.
It
is
literally
from
her
soul
and
through
her
experience
on
every
stage
and
to
pick
any
one
experience
is
very
difficult
because
the
entire
art
from
her
first
performance
to
her
journey
of
life
is
touching.
How
did
you
prepare
yourself
for
Umrao
Jaan?
It
was
a
study
on
set.
I'll
be
very
honest
as
I
didn't
get
the
chance
because
of
my
crazy
schedules.
I
have
learned
many
things
on
the
set
under
the
guidance
of
OP
Dutta,
JP
Dutta
and
off
course
Javed
Saab.
They
have
made
my
work
conveniently
smooth
and
I
have
to
thanks
them
immensely.
As
you
all
know
that
we
tend
to
speak
in
English
most
often
and
our
generation
is
not
smooth
in
such
a
beautiful
language
like
Urdu.
Though
we
are
not
fluent
in
that
language,
I
thoroughly
enjoyed
the
mouthing
of
dialogues
in
this
film
because
I
had
the
opportunity
to
explore
that
world
and
their
language.
How
was
it
working
with
J
P
Dutta?
It's
like
a
blessing
in
my
career.
I
had
some
great
opportunities
to
essay
such
incredible
characters
on
screen
as
an
actor.
It's
a
very
special
experience
and
a
great
opportunity
to
play
a
character
like
Umrao
Jaan,
who
has
already
become
an
icon
in
our
cinema.
I
have
been
through
this
area
of
questioning
even
when
I
was
essaying
Paro
in
Devdas.
All
my
sincere
thanks
to
Sanjay
Leela
Bhansali,
who
conveyed
the
story
to
today's
audience.
Whenever
a
story
is
told
or
retold
it
is
the
interpretation
of
that
director,
cinema
finds
its
audience.
How
do
you
react
when
you
are
compared
with
the
previous
Umrao
Jaan,
Rekha?
As
a
performer,
she
is
inspiring.
It's
not
only
Umrao
Jaan
but
her
entire
career
and
characters
that
she
essayed
through
her
performances
that
are
extremely
inspiring.
In
terms
of
my
performance
in
the
film,
I
am
very
clear
that
when
I
am
acting
in
a
movie
I
am
interpreting
my
director's
vision.
I
have
said
this
even
during
Devdas
when
I
was
performing
Paro.
It's
all
about
how
the
director
sees
the
character
and
how
he
wants
me
to
perform
onscreen
in
the
story.
I
was
inspired
by
her
performances
before
but
I
just
can't
simply
be
copying
or
aping
her.
There
is
no
meaning
in
remaking
the
cinema
then.
How
was
the
whole
experience
like?
It
was
a
pleasure.
I
would
like
to
thank
him
for
giving
me
the
honor
of
learning
so
much
under
him
as
a
student.
I
have
tried
under
his
sincerity,
guidance,
under
his
knocking
and
breaking
down.
But
to
become
a
mirror
of
her
journey
all
the
way
to
realizing
Umrao
Jaan
on
celluloid
was
a
great
experience.
It was a privilege to have incredible company like Shabana Azmi, Suniel Shetty and Abhishek Bachchan. Mr. O P Dutta made me break down several times by telling me those sensitive incidents. I couldn't have asked for a better role to essay than this celluloid. Javed Saab made gave me songs with the most soulful lyrics. Emoting has come naturally with his lyrics. It's an honour to be part of this project.