Bow Down, The queen of Kamathipura has arrived!

Kehte hai Kamathipura main kabhi amaavas ki raat nahi hoti, kyunki wahan Gangu rehti hai - Gangubai Kathiawadi

The movie that everyone had been waiting for is finally here! Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial Gangubai Kathiawadi hit the cinemas on 25th February 2022, the movie is based on a chapter in Hussain Zaidi's novel Mafia Queens of Mumbai.

Quick Synopsis: The movie follows the life of Ganga Harjeevandas Kathiawadi, the matriarch of Kamathipura, and her rise into becoming the infamous Gangubai Kathiawadi.

Set in Kamathipura the renowned red-light district of Mumbai, the story begins with a young girl by the name of Ganga. Hailing from a very respectable background elopes with her lover, Ramnik Lal. Thinking that she is one step closer to becoming a megastar, her dreams are crushed when she is sold to Madam Sheela by her own lover for 1000 rupees.

Starting off with the star of the movie, Alia Bhatt. At first, when I got to know that she'll be playing the role of a female mafia, I had my doubts. Will she be able to bring justice to a role like that? Would she be able to grasp the character and be able to portray the same on the big screen? Will she be fierce enough despite being a versatile actor? All my qualms were put to rest when I actually watched the film. Alia shines through the screen and delivers her dialogues with exceptional prowess. Going from a timid, scared young girl to a headstrong, fearless woman.

Bhansali wastes no time in showing his audience the plight of sex workers. What all they go through, from brothel madams beating them up to bestial clients who show no remorse to women. From beginning to finish, you could see how Gangu spoke her mind, which irked her 'mausi' Sheela which ultimately led her to be the subject of one atrocious client (Pathan). Women of Kamathipura were treated with little to no respect only cause their job was to pleasure men. The idea of shame is very evidently ingrained in the film. The same men who wander in the streets of Kamathipura are the ones who shame these women for what they do.

Now when I saw the characters, I thought Karim Lala (played by Ajay Devgn) would be the but obvious ruthless gangster who runs the town, and everyone bows down to him, which was partially true but he also turned out to have a heart of gold, when he provided the aid to Gangu and stood by her side throughout the film. Ajay played justice to Karim Lala by portraying the mysterious yet sensitive character the ultimate man of justice, as he himself says, "Lala ko Ghar baste hue pasand hai, ujadte hue nahi".

But Gangu doesn't need any man to tell you she's the star, she's the director, actor, and the screenwriter of her own life. They call her the so-called 'Mafia' but she was much more than that, she advocated for women and stood up for their rights. But even though the movie heavily emphasized the 'underworld', All I could see was how they completely disguised

Gangu's character as a 'good cop', dawning a white saree with a big red bindi only doing good for her women. We do forget that she is known to be a Mafia queen for a reason. They merely showed that side of her life by replacing the drugs with alcohol. if you choose to do a biopic on someone's life, you should cover each and every single corner of the person's life so that the person watching isn't left with a feeling of wanting more.

The director excludes the violence in the movie but makes sure the violence against sex workers is seen clearly. Aside from violence, a Bollywood movie isn't complete with a little bit of romance and Meri Jaan! (please get the reference as it's my favorite song!) Bhansali delivers the young budding romance between Gangu and Afsaan (played by Shantanu Maheshwari), in those bits you could see Afsaan's pure love and care for Gangu and Gangu's longing to be loved by a man. At that moment, Gangu felt like she was her old self, Ganga. It was no less than a Bollywood movie for her. One of the scenes that really proved to me that Gangu was a sensitive woman on the inside was when on random occasions she used to put Afsaan's hand on her head and made him caress her lightly. She felt safe and protected with him. But again, no romance is romance without some drama, she decides to sacrifice her love to save one of the girls o that she doesn't end up like one of the girls from Kamathipura. Heartbroken Afsaan accepts his fate. As Gangu promised, Kamathipura main baraat aa hi gayi! (at the cost of her sacrifice). One could say this was a selfish motive too, as she gained popularity and votes for elections.

Vijay Raaz plays an impeccable as Raziabai, but I do believe our industry is growing and getting diverse over time. So why don't we give roles to transwomen/transmen too instead of cis men playing the role? A trans person's hardships can only be portrayed by them. But nonetheless, who am I to question a director's vision.

Gangubai Kathiawadi will definitely serve you with the iconic Sanjay Leela Bhansali sets, beautiful dialogues, and heartwarming and upbeat songs (written by the director himself!)

It gives you the ultimate glitz and glamour that Bhansali has given us with his previous masterpieces. Outstanding performances by not only Alia but also by Ajay Devgn, Seema Pahwa, Vijay Raaz, Shantanu Maheshwari, and Jim Sarbh. The movie is worth the hype it's been getting. Don't watch it cause its a Sanjay Leela Bhansali but watch it to witness the diversity of Kamathipura in the 1960s because, "Gangu Chaand thi aur chaand hi rahegi"

Favorite songs from the movie -

Jab Saiyaan - Shreya Ghoshal & Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Meri Jaan - Neeti Mohan & Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Let me know what are your thoughts on the movie! Thank you for sparing your precious time! You're loved and I support you, you got this!