I thought the story line was easy to follow but not predictable, and the acting was very vivid and full of depth. I think that Ash is an amazing actress, who is able to convey so many emotions with even the most subtle of movements. The real gem of this film is the amazing detail that is given to the costumes and scenes. So many bright and amazing colors, even the texture of the fabrics are noticeable.I have watched this film so many times and each time I notice something new. If you love films that are costume based you'll be very happy with this one.

I have seen many Hindi movies, and i must say this one touches you to your heart,very emotional story of a possible life, it's a movie with strong feelings like only a Hindi movie can show. The movie is good from the acting, costumes, music to the story. One of the best movies Aishwarya plays in, she plays her role very good. In my opinion this movie is sadder than Titanic, as a comparison choice, Titanic is sweet perfume compared with the life described in this movie. You must prepare yourself before seeing this movie, but it's worth seeing.PS: The people who gave this movie low score must like second-rate horror movies (figurately speaking), no offense.

Despite being panned, I had hope that this film might be a fulfilling experience. The main problem with 'Umrao Jaan' is that it insists upon itself. It tries hard to be taken seriously, ergo, the script seems to be written by an eight grader who has just received a thesaurus and tries to impress his teacher by resorting to complex Lexis where simple words would do. Fact: J.P Dutta's version had all the makings of a grand tragedy: the ethereal main lead, her ashenly handsome love interest, haunting songs and magnificent sets and costumes. Furthermore,the length of the film is exhaustive...I actually had to get up and move about for a bit in order to shake the cobwebs lining the inside of my cranium. The songs, though melodiously rendered, are far too many in number and get on one's nerves after a while. Also Dutta has shown 'Umrao Jaan' to be a love story gone sour. Having read Rusva's original I can safely say that the broad outlook of the novel was to provide the reader an insight into the life of a courtesan...the love story was just a part of the text and not the novel as a whole.In conclusion, Umrao Jaan may be Aishwarya Rai's most powerful work till date and another feather in Shabana Azmi's cap but it is vaguely reminiscent of 'Memoirs of a Geisha' sans a true sense of tragedy.

An average movie. Aish is NO match of Rekha in terms of acting and expressions. Moreover, songs in the movie are so so and cannot be compared with Ghazals sung by evergreen Asha Bhonsley. There was an attempt to add glamor in the movie but original script was not worked upon as meticulously as was done in the original movie. However, there were some plus points; individual performances by Kalbhushan Kharbanda and Shabana Azmi were stunning. Aish also acted very well in some scenes. Music was not bad in one or two songs. Male actors like Abhishak and Sunil Shetty were so so in their performance. Overall this was an average movie which failed to satisfy the viewers.