Cast: Alia Bhatt
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
There is a scene in Gangubai Kathiawadi where, on the first day at her job, Alia gets help from another sex worker in posing and making the right gestures to woo clients. A helpless Alia, new to the profession, poses awkwardly on her friend’s cue – one hand on her waist, the other extended out while making lewd gestures, looking lost and uneasy. Much like this scene, Gangubai Kathiawadi feels like a constant struggle to get the right cues to keep the audience’s interest alive. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s latest effort to paint a canvas with hues of white and green and tints of sepia feels like a love letter written to its protagonist – the infamous sex worker who championed the cause of her profession and reached dizzying heights of fame in her heyday.
The biggest litmus test for the film is the brave choice to cast Alia Bhatt as the lead for a character that seems not just larger than life but one that overshadows the actress as she takes on one of the biggest risk of her career. Alia takes on Gangubai with immense zeal and not just chews but goes for the kill at every possible opportunity. And the opportunities are plenty. The film opens to modern-day Kamathipura and takes us into flashback mode where we meet Ganga, who is conned into leaving her small town with the false promise of becoming an actress. She is sold to a harem owned by Madam Sheela (Seema Pahwa) and told to learn the tricks of the trade against her will. The scenes depicting Gangu’s innocence and vulnerability soon turn to those of violence and rape when she seeks solace in the arms of a local mafia head, Karim Lala (Ajay Devgn). A pivotal turning point in the film is when, with Lala’s help, Ganga becomes Gangubai, a woman who accepts her destiny with open arms and makes peace with her elusive past.
Watch the trailer of Gangubai Kathiawadi here:
There are ample scenes in the film where SLB gets to show off his trademark moves – the overhead shots, the Dholida song, the razor-sharp monologues, the staple romantic track with shades of flirting that is never overtly sexy yet oozes physical intimacy.
Gangubai’s meteoric rise to the top is not easy. Her nemesis, a transgender harem owner Raziabai (Vijay Raaz), takes her head-on as she challenges her authority over Kamathipura. The men in Gangu’s life are always on the periphery. Be it her fleeting love story with Afsaan (Shantanu Maheshwari) or Jim Sarbh, a journalist who puts her on the cover of a magazine, she is always on guard when it comes to trusting the opposite sex.
The performances in Gangubai are top-notch. Ajay Devgn is outstanding as Lala and his entry scene is bound to draw whistles from the aisles. A welcome break from the Singham world, Ajay’s ability to draw empathy for Gangu makes him a very important character in her journey. Despite the limited screen time, Vijay Raaz is even more menacing than Sadashiv Amprapurkar’s Maharani act in Sadak. Raaz plays Raziabai with grace yet evokes constant fear each time he’s in the frame. You can’t take your eyes off him in the confrontation scenes with Gangu.
Alia deserves credit for attempting a character that’s way beyond her reach. She aces her long monologues in the second half and her intoxicated outburst scene, both of which showcase a totally different side to her. Her act isn’t perfect, she stumbles in a few scenes, but that imperfection is what makes Gangubai real.
However, the film also has its fair share of hiccups. The first half doesn’t really have much going on and it takes Alia a while to slip into Gangu mode. She has to sit, talk, walk, like Gangubai and there are moments where Alia surfaces, eclipsing the character she’s playing. The Gujarati accent is uneven in places. When you play such a larger-than-life character, the worry is that even a slight misstep gets amplified tenfold on the large screen.
Gangubai is not perfect. The film is about the choices she makes. There is very little emphasis on the wrong turns she makes in her journey to reach the top and meet the Prime Minister of the country to champion her cause.
Gangubai Kathiawadi’s camera work, background score and dialogues are the three pillars that take it from being just another gutsy biopic to a film that creates a massive impact. Gangubai is a solid risk for both Bhansali and Alia. A risk that pays off beautifully for both the director and his muse.
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