Seena Menon of Deccan Herald said, "Unfortunately, watching 19th-century Lucknow in the 2006 version of Umrao Jaan gives you nothing but a feeling akin to staring at a glass model of the original."
According to Seena Menon of Deccan Herald, viewing 19th-century Lucknow in the 2006 adaptation of "Umrao Jaan" is like looking at a replica rather than experiencing the real thing.