India, June 17 -- 'Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali believes the 1981 cult movie Umrao Jaan, based on Mirza Hadi Ruswa's novel, should not be reinterpreted. As the film prepares for a re-release in theatres later this month, he admits he wouldn't even attempt to remake it.

"Rekha is not easy to find! You don't people with such commitment - what she did, no one else can do today. Every person in the film was as real as Rekha, and she, too, became part of that milieu. It reflected in everything: Shahryar's lyrics, Khayyam's music, Kumudini Lakya's choreography, Asha Bhosle's playback singing, the characterisation, the actors, the cinematography, and the costumes. Everything was crafted in layers," he says.

Muzaffar adds, "The film has reached such ...