On director J P Dutta
J P Dutta is a committed taskmaster. I have danced to songs before. But he always added to choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant's steps, and that was quite challenging. He would shoot an entire mukhda in one shot. To do all the songs at that level required remaining focused at all times. In that moment, I felt I became Umrao Jaan.
It was interesting to deliver a performance that shows her passionate but tragic story. The film is also reflective of the art that was at its zenith in that era. The sex trade was called the performing arts then and not prostitution.
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