The film performed poorly at the box office, grossing only Rs. 6,49,00,000. The film received negative reviews from critics. Many of them reacted unfavourably to J. P. Dutta's direction and the film's three-hour running time, and several critics panned it while comparing it to the highly acclaimed
1981 version directed by
Muzaffar Ali.
BBC film critic Poonam Joshi concluded, "J. P. Dutta's film is an Ash-fest that adds little to the legacy of
Umrao Jaan." She praised
Azmi's performance as "exemplary" and wrote about Rai, "While only Rai could emulate the grace and poise of Rekha, she doesn't quite capture the intensity of Umrao's abiding melancholy", later commenting that "her incandescent beauty and artistry... does indeed keep the audience watching, though not necessarily emotionally engaged." Describing Rai's performance,
Nikhat Kazmi wrote, "she's riveting in places, diligent throughout and tries so hard to recreate a lost world of grandeur that your heart almost goes out to her." while
Rediff gave two and a half rating out of five and wrote "there is Rai the star, queen and saving grace of
Umrao Jaan. She enthralls with her gorgeousness, the precision in her dance movements, elegance in her gestures and sincerity in her willingness to become Umrao Jaan". Another review in
The Hindu said, "
Umrao Jaan of 2006 would be at best remembered as a poor man's remake of a classic or a love story with a period flavour."
The Tribune concluded that "
Umrao Jaan fails to impress" and while referring to Rai's performance wrote, "She is no match to Rekha". Seena Menon of
Deccan Herald said, "Unfortunately, watching 19th-century Lucknow in the 2006 version of
Umrao Jaan gives you nothing but a feeling akin to staring at a glass model of the original." Kathakali Jana from
Hindustan Times wrote, "Though comparing the film with the 1981 magnum opus is not fair, what does one do with a baggage of incredible weight? One simply remembers it again and decides to go back to it once more." Similarly, Jana wrote about Rai that she "looks lovely when she smiles. She looks lovelier when she cries. Dutta's screenplay – which runs into 180 excruciating minutes – allows her to do both in good measure. But where is the celebrated 19th-century tawaif of Lucknow whose untold sufferings could do nothing to strip her of her dignity?" Ziya Us Salam wrote for the same newspaper in a more positive review, "At its soul, body, even content, this
Umrao Jaan is as beautiful as its leading lady (Rai), the one who once had the world at her feet." Gullu Singh, another reviewer for
Rediff, praised the film for being more loyal to the novel." Worldwide, the film grossed Rs. 19.52 crore, including $485,000 at the U.S. box office. ==References==