By Manisha Deshpande, Bollywood Trade News Bureau
Film-maker Afzal Ahmed is going ahead full steam with his plans of re-making UMRAO JAAN with Meera, now that his MASHOOKA is complete and ready for release. Ahmed recently had a detailed meeting with veteran filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, when he discussed the original classic and its intricacies as portrayed in the original film but it was the culmination point of the story that prompted him to give a conclusive end to the story of the legendary courtesan. "I have decided to add a few more scenes to the earlier story so that it can reach a logical conclusion. I discussed this with Muzaffar-saab and he quite liked it," he reveals. So what does he have to say about reports in the media that Ali was planning to add a few scenes to the earlier UMRAO JAAN and re-release it? "That was just a figment of someone's imagination. Muzaffar-saab has no such plans nor does he have the inclination to try and get the dates of artistes and shoot the sequence," Ahmed reveals.
Meanwhile, Ahmed has already confirmed Meera's dates for the film and is convinced that she will make the ideal 'Umrao Jaan'. He reveals that he opted for Meera after he saw her in a Pakistani film playing the role of Anarkali. "I noticed that she's got the traditional and classical look that such a film demands," he says. Prior to the shooting, he is planning to have rehearsals of the artistes in the traditional costumes of the film. "I want to give a very authentic look to the film as far as possible," he says.
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