Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali highlights the role of traditional textiles in 'Umrao Jaan'

Mumbai, June 22 (IANS) Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali has shed light on the deep cultural and artistic value of traditional textiles in his 1981 classic “Umrao Jaan.”

Known for its timeless elegance, the film stands out not just for its narrative and music but also for its rich visual language rooted in handwoven fabrics, natural dyes, and period-authentic costume design. Speaking to IANS, Ali revealed that the costumes were carefully sourced from personal wardrobes and heirloom collections, bringing an added layer of authenticity to the film’s portrayal of 19th-century Lucknow. Talking about the film’s distinctive aesthetic, Muzaffar Ali shared that the textiles used were not sourced from markets but lovingly taken from people’s homes, old wardrobes, and heirloom boxes—woven with history and meaning.

He emphasized that the film’s language was not just spoken—it was worn. Each character’s clothing played a crucial role in storytelling, representing a forgotten era of organic fabrics, natural dyes, and handwoven textures. In contrast to today's mass-produced fashion, the veteran filmmaker mourned the loss of a time when people made, dyed, and wore their clothes with deep personal connection.

Muzaffar shared, “Not just memories, every frame is decorated with it. The language in the film is the language of textiles. And those textiles are not from the market. Those are things from people's houses, boxes, and wardrobes that have passed through time and have been worn by people. All characters' clothes are important. It is not possible that one person wears one type of clothes and another person wears something else.”

“It is the language of clothes that needs to be understood. Not everyone can understand it. Nowadays, everyone buys clothes from the market. We are taking people to a place where we have to make our own clothes. We make them ourselves; we sew them ourselves; we cut them ourselves; we wear them ourselves. Those times are gone now.”

He went on to state, “In those times, there was natural dyeing; there was no chemical dyeing. There was special weaving; there was no nylon. These clothes are all organic. It must have taken a lot of time to make them. Yes, it was fun. It is fun to make things by immersing yourself in them. Whether it is clothes, music, or anything else, they are not given unlimited time.”

More than three decades after its original release, the iconic film “Umrao Jaan” made a grand return to the big screen on June 27, 2025. Featuring Rekha in one of her most celebrated roles, the timeless classic was re-released in a newly restored 4K version.

--IANS

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