There have been multiple adaptations of Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s 1899 classic Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada till now and the newest adaptation announced is a series starring Sajal Aly. The upcoming Urdu language series is being produced by an Abu Dhabi-based South Asian celebrity management agency, Action Consultancy, according to Variety. In an exclusive conversation with Variety, producer Hamid Hussain said that the series adaptation relies “heavily on the original Urdu version of the novel, unlike the film adaptations that had taken creative liberties to fit the story into a film narrative. There is a lot in the novel that has never been shown in an audiovisual project.” The show is said to feature a second strong female lead from the novel and is currently in development. It is expected to head to a major streamer for release. The novel has been adapted multiple times before in both Pakistan and India. We also saw it on Geo TV in 2003 as Umrao Jaan Ada. It was even adapted as a stage musical named Umrao Jaan Ada – The Musical by Salim-Sulaiman in 2019.