Having premiered at the 72nd Berlin International Festival this February, “Gangubai Kathiawadi” is loosely based on the true story of Gangubai Harjivandas, popularly known as Gangubai Kothewali, whose life was documented in the book Mafia Queens of Mumbai written by S. Hussain Zaidi, and one of the best Hindi movies we have seen lately.
The story begins in the present, when a young girl that has just been sold to a brothel, is finding it really difficult to adapt, much less “perform”, to the frustration of the madame, who calls Gangubai, to help her with the “wildling”. Thus, in a rather impressive, star-studded intro, we are introduced to the main protagonist, who proceeds on telling her own story to the girl, with the film taking a lengthy flashback to the past. Born into an affluent family in Kathiawad, Ganga Harjivandas aspired to become a Bollywood actress. At the tender age of 16, she fell in love with Ramnik Lal. They eloped and went to Mumbai as Ramnik promised Ganga a film career under the tutelage of his aunt Sheela. But her whole life turned upside down as he sold her to a brothel in Kamathipura for Rs 1000 where she forcefully had to start prostituting. Soon, however, it is proven that Ganga is not like the other girls, as she manages to turn all her troubles to her advantage. The violent behavior of a known criminal, which ends up with her in the hospital, results in getting the protection of mafia leader Rahim Lala, with him eventually becoming her sworn brother. Her antagonism with Sheela ends up with her as the definite winner, taking over the brother with the help of the local prostitutes, all of which seem to adore her. A bit later, as the story comes to the present again, she renames herself Gangubai, and runs in the local elections against all powerful Razia, again winning the rather harsh competition and becoming a political figure herself. As time passes, she becomes the leader and spokesperson of all prostitutes in Kamathipura. The problems however, never cease, and love seems to have no place in her life.
Despite the fact that the movie ends up being a eulogy for Gangubai, who is essentially presented as a woman without any faults, the approach Sanjay Leela Bhansali implements results in a great biopic, of the quality similar Hollywood and Korean productions exhibit, both in terms of narrative and production values. Evidently, Gangubai's story was already a truly captivating one, but the way the director goes about highlighting it makes it as entertaining as possible, with the title retaining interest from beginning to end, to the point that its 152 minutes actually seem much less. The rather fast pace Bhansali's own editing implements also helps the most in that regard, in another great aspect of the movie.
Apart from entertainment, the particular story also makes a number of comments regarding prostitution and society's hypocrisy regarding the particular profession, as much as women's rights in a country where daughters and girlfriends are actually sold to brothels. The speech Gangubai gives, her meetings with various politicians including the Prime Minister at some point highlight this aspect, while also making a comment about the corruption of the political system, and the prejudice of institutions like the Christian schools in the country.
More than anything, though, “Gangubai Kathiawadi” is a vehicle for Alia Bhatt to shine, something she does in the most astonishing fashion, in one of the best performances we have seen lately in any kind of movie. It is not only her beauty and her evident charisma that fill the screen every time she appears on camera, but also her acting, which is of the highest level in a truly demanding role. Either when dancing, or getting beaten, or seducing, or being drunk, or talking in front of an assembly, or joking, or facing her tremendous opponents, the quality of her performance never falters, in a true masterclass of acting. Even the way she changes her voice and her whole demeanor depending on the circumstance is a treat for the eyes. Bhansali chose to have her appear in almost every scene, anchoring the film fully on her, and she delivered in the most outstanding fashion.
DP Sudeep Chatterjee took care of presenting her in all her glory, but, at the same time, the overall presentation of the various eras and the Kamathipura, is also impressive, in a style that frequently reminds of Westerns, both in the sets and the overall coloring. Add to these the exquisite costumes, the excellent production design and the level of effort in the hair and make-up departments and you have a visual extravaganza, again on the level met in Hollywood.and Korea. Also of note is the fact that although the music video scenes are not missing, they are restricted to just a few, which definitely benefits the quality of the movie.
“Gangubai Kathiawadi” in an excellent film, a masterclass on how to shoot a biopic that focuses on entertainment, and testament of the great abilities of Bhansali and Bhatt.
