Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Gangubai Kathiawadi”

Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)

This biographical of Gangubai Kathiawadi, a woman sold into prostitution and her rise to power straddles genres while maintaining coherency led by a superb performance from Alia Bhatt

With lush production values, this biography raises the localised stature of an unlikely rights activitst in 1960s India to an epic and global scale. The musical and dance elements of the film almost act as a Greek chorus at key points during proceedings which some might find distracting as the tone of the remainder of the film is more grounded if a bit more saturated than real life.

At points, it feels like The Godfather as Gangu negotiates the power structures within Kamathipura (a prostitution district in Mumbai) both within and outside the law. In the process, she becomes an activist for the 4000 or so women in the district which requires considerable personal sacrifice. At other points, it feels like a political drama or a love story or a musical. At times it has the energy of a Stephen Chow film. It’s a miracle it hangs together and it does so in no small part to Alia Bhatt’s fantastic performance in the title role.

One thing that’s striking in the film is the unlikelihood of this story even begin told let alone in such a grandiose way. Taken from a chapter of Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens of Mumbai based on original research by journalist Jane Borges, it tells 13 true stories of woman involved in criminality in Mumbai. In the film, a journalist, Hamid Fezi is pivotal to events and is played perfectly by Jim Sarbh (think an Indian Jeff Goldblum).

In its handling of the good and bad in the film, there is a leaning toward the villains being different or less beautiful but that’s obviously not unusual. It’s irksome but hardly core to the film. One of the adversaries is a transgender politician of considerable popularity but the mere fact that there’s a transgender politician in 1960s India surpasses anything achieved in the west. Though the character is played with a certain villainous relish by Vijay Raaz, the character is overall treated pretty fairly over the course of the film. It would be interesting to get a transgender point of view.

Overall, it’s an energetic tapestry of genres forming a cohesive story around an interesting woman who history could have easily forgotten.