Movie Review: Gangubai Kathiawadi Star Cast: Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Release Date: 25th February 2022 Review By: Vineeta Kumar Gangubai Kathiawadi is finally here. The film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and starring Alia Bhatt as Gangubai Kathiawadi has hit theatres on February 25, after a long wait, courting controversies, and battling all the lows and blows that came its way. But does this Bhansali magnum opus live up to the hype and expectations? Does Alia Bhatt do justice to the Bhansali heroines of the past? Does Bhansali again take you on giant sets with dreamy songs and a world of fantasy, like his films are known for? Check out the Gangubai Kathiawadi movie review right here before you book your tickets. What's it about? A young girl from Kathiawad is brought to Kamathipura by her boyfriend. He shows her the dreams of becoming an actor in Bombay only to sell her off to one of the many brothels. The young girl is raped, brutalised, made to accept and learn the austerity of her business. Soon, Ganga becomes Gangu, a warrior of sorts, and a local representative of hundreds of women for whom the Badnaam Gali is both their home and workplace. Gangu rises to power with the love and strength of her fellow women at home, and with her political and underworld connections outside. She first rules the brothel, then the area, then the entire red-light zone of Kamathipura and soon becomes the Mafia queen of Mumbai. Gangu continues to have her heartbreaks though, faces incidents that attempt to crush her already beaten soul. But as they say, 'Gangu chaand hai' shining the brightest with all the marks and the dark spots on its surface. What's hot? Sanjay Leela Bhansali infuses soul into this story, not with the sheer grandeur of his filmmaking style but with the gruesomeness of the subject he has chosen. This is not a love story where you are asked to feel the pain of the beating hearts or a period drama where you can't take your eyes off the sparkly costumes the characters are wearing. This is a raw story where you see a 12-year-old girl being decorated to be served to her first client, or another 15-year-old being exposed to drugs so that she doesn't resist her life. There's dark poetry in Bhansali's storytelling this time. He introduces these prostitutes as 'chidiya' who got stuck in a cage forever and ends up referring to them as 'kaala gulab' (black rose), who has the same scent but never the same stature as that of a red rose. Even when he shows a love story slowly and beautifully growing into a mature romance, he limits it more to gestures and emotions than spoken words. Alia Bhatt, as Gangubai, gracefully shushes the voices who didn't feel convinced with her casting as the madam of Kamathipura. She maintains the dichotomy of the character who has to contrast the softness on her face with the severity of her soul. Gangubai isn't an easy role to perform. Alia maintains a certain quietness in her eyes. In a scene when Gangu writes a letter on behalf of a friend to her father, or in a scene when she is beaten brutally by a client, tears well up in her eyes but never flow out. Gangu never asks the viewer to pity her but never even lets them think that she's glorifying the world no woman is supposed to be in. Her emotions are always in check. She might have chosen to conceal her own pain, but for others, she's this solid figure of justice and righteousness who will wipe off their tears and also, fight for their basic right to education or opening a bank account. At around 2 hours and 40 minutes, Gangubai Kathiawadi seems a bit stretched though. It's a film with a strong protagonist and an even stronger supporting cast. Seema Pahwa, as the brothel madam, gives her most memorable performance on-screen. This is probably the first film that chooses to see her as a wholesome actor, and not just as a small-town mom rushing her life to become a progressive parent. Vijay Raaz, as trans woman Razia Bai, introduces a power dynamic in the story. Much like other actors in the film, even comes out of his comfort zone and is given a character that's unusual for someone who has only been seen as a comedian so far. There's a sense of unabashed rusticity about his performance that always leaves you thinking there's more to his presence on-screen than what meets the eye. Shantanu M is a full surprise. He is probably the sanest part of Gangu, the simplest and the spotless part with no conspiracies or complexities. His presence brings a pause in Gangu's life and she can just be a regular girl of her age in the shared moments with him. Shantanu's performance is full of love and sheer humility, almost like a pearl gliding off the smooth silk surface. The hero is still the man who has returned to Bhansali's cinema after a hiatus of 23 years Ajay Devgn as gangster Karim Lala. The actor does what he does the best, present a larger-than-life image and capture the scene with intensity in his eyes and his gravelly voice. He's the perfect hero in the world driven by a heroine. Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi is not his Black, but then it's not like any other film that he has made so far. The fine elements of his filmmaking style are still there but an attempt to give more and see beyond the usual is not difficult to sense. For an audience who believes in big-screen entertainers and for an industry that largely produces stories about men driving the world with their bare chests and six-pack abs, Bhansali gives a film that speaks about women who are either dissed or feared. Gangubai Kathiawadi has got 'Bollywood' written all over it, Bhansali's style of Bollywood, the one that speaks to you and also mesmerises you! BL Verdict: 4 out of 5
