PVR Inox, India’s largest multiplex chain, will re-release the 1981 film Umrao Jaan in a 4K restored version on June 27. Directed by Muzaffar Ali and starring Rekha, the film is widely regarded as a masterpiece of Indian cinema.
Rekha earned the National Film Award for Best Actress for her role as a courtesan and poet in 19th-century Lucknow. The restoration was carried out by the National Film Development Corporation and the National Film Archive of India under the National Film Heritage Mission.
Due to the fragile condition of the original negatives, the restoration was based on a 35mm release print preserved at the archive. Director Muzaffar Ali personally supervised the process.
Ali is also launching a limited-edition coffee table book with rare behind-the-scenes photos and production materials from the film.
“Umrao Jaan was not just a film — it was a journey into the soul of a lost culture,” Ali said. Rekha added, “The character lives within me, breathes through me, even now.”
The re-release is part of PVR Inox’s Timeless Classics series, which honors landmark films in Indian cinema history.
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