Abhishek is Umrao ki jaan- The Times of India

Abhishek is Umrao ki jaan
SUBHASH K JHA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2005 09:49:58 PM ]

To star as Ash's romantic interest in JP Dutta's Umrao Jaan

Movie moghul JP Dutta's courtesan tale Umrao Jaan is courting a captivating cast while recreating an alluring past. After finalising on Aishwarya Rai for the title role and Shabana Azmi (for the role played by her mother Shaukat Azmi in the original), the visionary in JP has zeroed-in on his favourite blue-eyed boy – Abhishek Bachchan – for the main romantic lead. "Abhishek Bachchan is my hero in Umrao Jaan," JP announces proudly, amidst hectic pre-production work and music recordings with lyricist Javed Akhtar and composer Anu Malik. "If you remember, I was supposed to launch Abhishek in a period film based on the life of Bahadur Shah Zafar and his son. It was also supposed to feature Dilip Kumar. That project unfortunately got shelved. Instead, Refugee happened. But my dream of casting Abhishek in the classic mould did not die."

Pausing and pondering, JP proceeds, "After Ash was cast as Umrao, I needed a man who could look like a poet and a dreamer, and at the same time match her as an ideal partner. When I closed my eyes, I could only see Abhishek."

Read the full article here : Abhishek is Umrao ki jaan- The Times of India