Sajal Aly set to play Umrao Jaan in eight-part Urdu series adaptation
Sajal Aly is set to play Umrao Jaan in an eight-part Urdu series adaptation!
An Urdu literature classic penned by Mirza Hadi Ruswa in 1899, is being helmed by producer Hamid Hussain.
As reported by Variety, Abu Dhabi-based South Asian celebrity management agency Action Consultancy is packaging and producing the project. While Hamid Hussain and Muhammad Yaqoob are the producers of latest the Urdu adaptation of the classic.
It will be interesting to see popular Pakistani star Sajal Aly, who is also one of the leads in Shekhar Kapur’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It?,” in the latest adaptation and what treatment will the makers give to the classic Urdu-language novel “Umrao Jaan Ada.”
The classic has already seen various adaptations including TV series and films both in India and Pakistan, portraying the culture and society of the 19th-century Indian subcontinent, particularly the lives of courtesans.
In Pakistan, Hasan Tariq directed the film “Umrao Jaan Ada” (1972), featuring the late Rani in the title role. While a TV adaptation was aired on Geo TV in 2003.
Meanwhile, in India, Muzaffar Ali’s “Umrao Jaan” (1981) starred Rekha, while J.P. Dutta’s 2006 adaptation “Umrao Jaan” starred Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Two 1958 Indian films – S.M. Yusuf’s “Mehndi” and Nakhshab Jarchavi’s “Zindagi Ya Toofan,” were also inspired by the novel.
The latest was in 2019, Indian composer Salim-Sulaiman adapted Ali’s 1981 film as a stage musical “Umrao Jaan Ada – The Musical.”
A TV adaptation in India was played on the Doordarshan Urdu channel in 2014.
