Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, who directed the 1981-hit Umrao Jaan is heartbroken. His upcoming pre-Independence drama, Jaanisaar, featuring Pernia Qureshi and Imran Abbas Naqvi, hasn't been able to get any screens forcing him to push the film up by two weeks. Ali had earlier wanted to open on Independence Day but was warned that the date had been blocked by Karan Johar. Then he decided on an August 21 release only to come up against Umesh Shukla's All Is Well, featuring Abhishek Bachchan, Asin and Rishi Kapoor. Now the film is scheduled for August 7.

“I'm a fakir and I'm fighting against loud, big-budget, multi-starrers. The zeal, passion and energy of films like Killa and Masaan are incomparable but independent cinema never finds any takers,“ a dejected Ali told Mirror.

The 70-year-old filmmaker underlines the stark difference by comparing his film to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period romance Bajirao Mastani. “I shot Jaanisaar in 54 days while Bajirao Mastani has taken 300 days. During post-production, I dropped three big scenes, wasting 10 days of shoot, to keep my film within the two-hour limit since I don't have the backing to make a three-hour-long film,“ he sighed.

Thirty-four years ago, Muzaffar had made Umrao Jaan with Rekha. The film had bagged four National Film Awards for Best Actress, Best Music Direction, Best Art Direction and Best and Best Female Playback Singer. However, the filmmaker from Lucknow, who has been mentoring talent from Uttar Pradesh, refuses to rest on his laurels, insisting he still has a lot to learn. “This is a new race. There is so much action, noise and starvalue in the other films. No one wants to give their ears some rest by choosing mine,“ he says. “No production house approached me to collaborate on the film nor have I sold the satellite rights yet. At this point in life, I don't want to hear a 'no'. After all the commitment, time and effort, rejection is not acceptable.“