There’s something about Alia Bhatt and Sanjay Leela Bhansali that whenever the powerhouses of talent teamed up for a film, it wasn’t without its hiccups. Back in 2019, when Bhatt was roped in by Bhansali to pair up with Salman Khan for ‘Inshallah’, the film met an untimely demise. It was shelved due to the creative differences between the filmmaker and Khan. It was heart-breaking for the young star and since then she had waited to be a part of the filmmaker’s next offering. As luck would have it, Gangubai Kathiawadi was announced soon after but it too wasn’t going to be an easy ride.
The film went on floors, only to be halted intermittently due to the pandemic breakout. But Bhatt stood by her director despite multiple interruptions and shooting delays. “Well, you have to have a bit of drama in life and then sometimes there is sunshine. There is no straight path that we have in life. There are good days and bad days, ups and downs,” says the 28-year-old actor.
Gangubai Kathiawadi, released this Friday, is Bhatt’s “labour of life”. Even though the film deals with the subject of prostitution, the treatment isn’t dark or sober. Instead, it’s a good mix of being dramatic as well as witty. “It’s the real-life tale of Gangubai and hence there is drama, wit, emotion, love, humour, just about everything. Besides intensity, there’s a fun element as well. In the promo, Gangubai steps out of the car in such style. After all, this is her personality,” says Bhatt.
What makes Gangubai Kathiawadi stand out is there is no obscenity in the film. Unlike what’s shown when dealing with such subjects, there’s little verbally or visually disturbing in Bhansali’s film. “You have to appeal to a wider audience. Yes, I would like to watch a film that has intensity and drama, but not watch those disturbing shots that make me feel uncomfortable. As it is for audiences there is so much stress at home. You can’t have them come to theatres and then stress them further with what goes on the big screen,” she says and goes on to add quickly, “Agreed that Gangubai is a prostitute, she has been sold to a brothel. However, it isn’t as if her core personality is dark. The girl has her own style. She is this sunshine in the dark world of prostitution.”
Bhatt, daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actor Soni Razdan, made her acting debut as a child artiste in the 1999 thriller Sangharsh and rose to fame with Karan Johar’s teen drama Student of the Year (2012). Her sole focus currently is on Gangubai who in a decade’s time had gone on to rule the Kamathipura domain, just like Bhatt has in the Hindi film industry. Ten years and a dozen films later, Bhatt has learnt the art of keeping her personal and professional lives apart. And the only man she would talk about is her co-star Ajay Devgn. “Ajay has a very powerful role in the film. He is one of the most important people in Gangubai’s life. It is very exciting to see how Ajay has brought so much on to the screen even with a limited screen time.”
Now that the film has been released, the jinx, if any, is broken around Bhatt and Bhansali getting to work together. “Yes, indeed. It had been such a long wait and I am happy that the film is there for everyone to see. We waited as we wanted theatre capacity to go up. I just hope the film does well. For everyone’s sake, I am keeping fingers crossed that the film does well,” smiles Bhatt with hope in her eyes. Whether that hope translates into numbers will be seen in the days ahead.