Renowned filmmaker Muzaffar Ali's upcoming film 'Jaanisaar' is his comeback after 3 decades 'Jaanisaar' promises to be a masterpiece just like his critically acclaimed film 'Umrao Jaan'.

Muzaffar Ali explains, "Jaanisaar is set in the period when we lost the first war of Independence in 1857, a time when the British created a subjugated nation. The film revolves around a love story in which the boy is westernised and the girl is deeply rooted in the ethos of Indian culture."

Similar to Umrao Jaan, 'Jaanisaar' is also set in Awadh. The film has been extensively shot in Lucknow and Kotwara.

The film stars debutant Pernia Qureshi and Pakistani heartthrob Imran Abbas Khan in lead roles. The music has been composed by Ali and Shaqfat Ali. There are poems by Rahi Masoom Raza, Daagh Dehlvi and Wajid Ali Shah that have been rendered in the songs. "I wanted to use Wajid Ali Shah`s motif in the film because Awadh was his kingdom," says Ali.

Leading character of the film Pernia Qureshi has been training as a classical dancer in Kathak and Kuchipudi since the age of three. She says, "Uncle Muzaffar had faith in me and that helped me a lot; my preparation for the role happened entirely through passionate conversations with him." Confirming this Ali says, "The kind of performance Qureshi has given as a dancer is a joy to watch, she`s a better dancer than Rekha in Umrao Jaan."

Though the film had a modest budget of 15 crores, the talented director has made sure 'Jaanisaar' is as close to the period as ever. He also reveals that language is a very interesting dimension of Jaanisaar, its got Urdu, Awadhi, Hindi and English.