As a director Muzaffar Ali is meticulous and well thought of. This ace director was born in Lucknow. His background had a major influence on his work. The language of his films is more Urdu than the Hindustani of most Mumbai made films. Three of films deserve special mention.
The first film that he wrote, directed and produced was Gaman (1979). It won considerable critical acclaim. The film starred Smita Patil. But his masterpiece till date remains Umrao Jaan. Released in 1981 it is in the classical mode and a representative of a `middle of the road` kind of cinema at a more elevated level. It was a nostalgic homage to the lost art of living of the cultured Muslim society of his native Lucknow, famous for its poets, musicians and courtesan-dancers. The film has wonderful performances by Rekha, Naseeruddin Shah, Farooq Sheikh and Raj Babbar. Khayyam set the music for the film on the lyrics of Shahryar, the Urdu poet.
Anjuman (1986) have also been situated in Lucknow. It deals with the time when lifestyles have reached a point of material decadence. The film starred Shabana Azmi in the lead role.
