| Good Reviews | Average Reviews | Bad Reviews |
| 4.0 |
"is a well-crafted, absorbing tale that is beautifully executed and tugs at the heart."
- South Africa Daily News |
| 3.5 |
"a moving story of a courtesan who is simply born unlucky due to unforeseen circumstances"
- BBC |
| 3.5 |
"For creating an "Umrao Jaan", who stays in our hearts, and for giving Aishwarya Rai yet another memorable role, J.P. Dutta must take a bow."
- Subhash Jha |
| 3.0 |
"Go for the beauty of the story and settings, but don’t expect too much."
- DNA India |
| 3.0 |
"Although the film has sensitive performances, the film tends to drag in the end and is a tad too long with an overdose of songs."
- NDTV |
| 3.0 |
"lovers of good cinema will find the movie eminently watchable."
- ApunKaChoice |
| 3.0 |
"If you are an avid lover of the Urdu language and Lucknowi tehzeeb then the film is a must-watch, but if not you may not love itm because the film is 20 reels and three hours long."
- Rediff 2 |
| 3.0 |
"lacking innovation and soul, the film fails to live up to the grandeur of its much superior precursor, and its own hype."
- BBC Films |
| 3.0 |
"has everything going for it: a celebrated cast, robust performances, and stunning visuals. But J.P. Dutta’s attempt only partly succeeds."
- Planet Bollywood |
| 3.0 |
"Of the three remakes in recent times- Devdas Don and Umrao, the last perhaps is the nearest to its original and in that context the best in the trend of remakes."
- Andhra Cafe |
| 3.0 |
"Book your date with "Umrao Jaan". The graces, the ada, the haya, the nazakat, the nafasat are all there."
- The Hindu |
| 2.5 |
"is a well made film but lacks commercial value. "
- Business Of Cinema |
| 2.5 |
"requires major editing including the removal of many songs."
- RadioSargam |
| 2.5 |
"barely demonstrates the soul or fabric of a classic. Instead it alternates between a hollow, glossy romance and an outrageous period drama."
- Rediff |
| 2.0 |
"feels more faux-dramatic and long enough to offend any average moviegoer."
- IndiaTimes |
| 2.0 |
"I felt totally sapped at the end of this endless saga and I even stopped sympathizing with the miserable misery of the protagonist."
- IndiaGlitz |
| 2.0 |
"Though comparing the film with the 1981 magnum opus is not fair, what does one do with a baggage of incredible weight?"
- Hindustan Times |
| 2.0 |
"a soulless body, the soul having been washed away by Aishwarya Rai's excessive glycerine-induced tears. "
- Full Hyderabad |
| 2.0 |
"Umrao Jaan's story is not nearly as tragic as that of it's audiences!"
- MTV India |
| 2.0 |
"An interminably long and flat remake of Muzaffar Ali’s classic"
- Movie Talkies |
| 2.0 |
"With all that hype and build-up, the film comes crashing down on viewing — that too in a half empty hall."
- Deepa Gahlot |
| 2.0 |
"Dutta has also done many mistakes in the making of the film. He never establishes a Kotha in the film."
- Mag 4 You |
| 2.0 |
"fails to entertain and captivate the audiences."
- Bollywood Mantra |
| 2.0 |
"a sigh for what this film could have been! "
- Times Now |
| 2.0 |
"what works against the film is its inordinate length and a certain plastic feel to the milieu."
- Times Of India |
| 2.0 |
"drags painfully and is so listless that one is forced to get up and leave the theatre for a cup of coffee at regular intervals, especially during the songs."
- Bollyvista |
| 2.0 |
"a tediously slow and surprisingly passion-less rendering of the story-beautiful to look at, but in an overblown cosmetic way."
- Cybernoon |
| 2.0 |
"the most dramatic of scenes come across as rather inert and the long takes don’t hold the audience interest."
- Outlook India |
| 2.0 |
"has its moments but it takes much more than a few moments when it is a long teary saga."
- Deccan Herald |
| 1.5 |
"at three and a half hours, It feels endless"
- LA Weekly |
| 1.5 |
"is a movie with lavish sets, golden age attire, award winning cast/crew and a novel story - unfortunately its poorly executed"
- Music 'N Movies |
| 1.5 |
"Dutta fails miserably in narrating the story; in fact director should know that the era of 3 and half hour movies is gone."
- Now Running |
| 1.5 |
"serves as the perfect antidote for those suffering from insomnia or other kinds of sleeping disorders."
- Mid-Day |
| 1.5 |
"The result is as pale and bland as the leading actress of this film; as boring and belaboured as Dutta's last test of audiences' patience (LOC). Period."
- Mumbai Mirror |
| 1.5 |
"has a weak first half and a tolerable second."
- IndiaFM |
| 1.0 |
"a placidly told story without either passion or pathos."
- IBN Live |
| 1.0 |
"Watch it if you're sadistic, or if you have a thing for Ash weeping in opulent interiors."
- Jam |
| 1.0 |
"seems to last about ten years while you're sitting there watching it unfold"
- Film Journal International |
| 1.0 |
"this is one helluva makeover gone bad. Skip it."
- B On Demand |
| 1.0 |
"neither explores the social attitudes of the period, nor gives the story a contemporary perspective."
- Sify |
