Shabana Azmi, Muzaffar Ali & Waheeda Rehman on How Umrao Jaan Was Written Entirely in Ghazals

Shabana Azmi, Muzaffar Ali & Waheeda Rehman on How Umrao Jaan Was Written Entirely in Ghazals . Umrao Jaan's story moves through its ghazals. Muzaffar Ali explains how a film could be built that way. Moderated by Ira Bhaskar, this session brings Muzaffar Ali and Shabana Azmi together on how Hindi cinema has shown Urdu culture, and how often it got that wrong. Muzaffar Ali traces what shaped him. Satyajit Ray, who showed him how to put a real language and a real culture on screen. And his years at Aligarh, which carried into Gaman, Anjuman and Umrao Jaan. For Umrao Jaan, Shahryar's ghazals, written over a year and a half, became the shape of the film itself, set to Khayyam's music. The conversation also turns to Waheeda Rehman, and the grace and finely judged Hindustani she brought to classic cinema, as an example of how the language could live on screen without becoming costume. Shabana Azmi looks at the Muslim Social genre and the stock figure it produced, set against films that told the truth instead, like Garm Hava. Her point is that Urdu belongs to everyone, not to a community or a genre, and she closes with a couplet by Firaq Gorakhpuri. . Chapters: 00:00:00 Urdu Language as Soul of Bombay Cinema 00:00:36 How Satyajit Ray Inspired Muzaffar Ali 00:01:27 Aligarh Muslim University and Film Gaman 00:02:18 Dr Rahi Masoom Raza on Pen and Cinema 00:03:09 Umrao Jaan Screenplay Written in Ghazals 00:04:38 Shahryar and Khayyam Sahab Music Legacy 00:05:17 Film Anjuman and Real Social Conscious 00:06:05 Shabana Azmi on Stereotypes in Cinema 00:07:36 Bollywood Tropes vs Hollywood Cowboys 00:08:20 Garm Hava Balraj Sahni and Real Cinema 00:09:05 Lucknow Tehzeeb in Cinema and Anjuman 00:09:53 Indian Languages in Schools Over French 00:10:30 Firaq Gorakhpuri Iconic Urdu Poetry Sher . About Jashn-e-Rekhta Jashn-e-Rekhta is the world’s largest cultural festival celebrating the beauty, depth, and living spirit of the Urdu language. Held annually, it brings together poets, musicians, writers, thinkers, and artists from across the world to create a space of poetry, music, conversations, and storytelling. From soul-stirring mushairas and spellbinding musical evenings to intimate dialogues and immersive cultural experiences, the festival is where language turns into emotion and heritage finds a contemporary voice. More than a festival, Jashn-e-Rekhta is a movement that keeps Urdu alive, relevant, and deeply connected across generations. . #shabanaazmi #muzaffarali #umraojaan #urducinema #jashnerekhta #hindicinema #waheedarahman . About Rekhta Foundation: Rekhta Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation committed to preserving, promoting, and celebrating the Urdu language and its rich literary and cultural legacy. Through digital archives, learning platforms, publications, festivals, and community initiatives, the Foundation works to make Urdu accessible and meaningful for audiences worldwide. By bridging classical traditions with modern platforms and voices, Rekhta Foundation ensures that the language continues to inspire, connect, and evolve with time. . IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT NOTICE © Rekhta Foundation. All rights reserved. Unauthorised downloading, clipping, re-uploading, or reuse of this content (audio/video/visuals) is strictly prohibited without written permission. . External Links: Website: https://rekhta.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jashnerekhtaofficial/ Rekhta Books: https://rekhtabooks.com/ Rekhta Learning: https://rekhtalearning.com/