Watch or Not? Sanjay Leela Bhansali is shooting a movie for himself. His love letter to the era and the stuff he cherishes. Watch for Alia Bhatt to deliver a career-best performance as the Madame many thought she couldn’t become.
Predicated on Hussain S Zaidi’s novel Mafia Queens of Mumbai, the follows the life of Gangubai Kathiawadi, the then President of Kamathipura, from the time she was sexually exploited until the day she gave thousands of ladies in her business the gest and freedom to reside life outspokenly and without being ashamed of who they are.
Movie Review: Gangubai Kathiawadi Script Analysis
The elegance is in the moments, the words break our hearts, and time goes only on his orders. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a film director who makes films more for himself than for others. His eyes seek grandeur and aesthetic appeal in everything, and you can see it every time his leading lady flips her hair. Gangubai Kathiawadi is about a woman who is forced to work in the darkest of industries, but she rises like a phoenix wearing the purest of colours (White).
The maverick filmmaker, who created the last three magnum masterpieces on a larger scale, reintroduces opulence after a four-year hiatus, but in a more contemporary setting. Here’s a Bhansali who doesn’t rely on a themed font in the credits or multiple songs to save him by making it a narrative from one song to the next. He’s telling a story by having his leading lady lift a lot of weight with a lot of faith in her.
This is the filmmaker’s first time making a biopic with only one actor in the lead role (Black had Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan in equal parts). Because the world is built around her rather than with her, it is her show. Gangubai Kathiawadi has arrived! In the very first scene, writers SLB and Utkarshini Vashishtha (Ramleela & Sarbjit) make it clear that this is not a story that wants you to pity Gangu; she is introduced at a very strong stage in her life. It is unlike any other SLB position. The camera pans in on a young woman getting ready for her first day at the flesh market. You quickly realize that this isn’t Gangu, but someone else.
After establishing who Gangu is in the moment, the screenplay makes the decision to take you back to when she was pushed into the business. A well-known Barrister’s daughter elopes to Mumbai with the ambition of becoming an actress. Bhansali uses the first half of the film to establish the story and make you feel at ease in his world. He doesn’t expect you to be in a hurry, so the pace is leisurely. Gangubai Kathiawadi is more about the moments than the scenes. This isn’t Bhansali enthralling you with drama and extravagance. He uses subtlety to convey emotions, and when Gangu bursts out, you get goosebumps.
This time, the structure is more of a game. Visuals fade in and out, and at times feel detached. However, as previously stated, the film’s heart is in the instants rather than the larger sequences. Be it a card game between two lovers, a woman compelled into the flesh market applying makeup with a dead expression, a daughter calling her mother after 12 years, or a group of s*x workers writing a letter to their fathers, Bhansali ensures that you feel all of these emotions and more.
Bhansali and Vashistha employ metaphors in the same way that SLB did in the past. Gangu died twice before she died for real, as depicted in two beautiful scenes. The first was when Ganga became Gangu, and the second was when Gangu entered politics. Take a bow, you magician! In a heartbreaking scene in which Gangu makes a decision for her lover and he stands just below her house, she sits on a swing and begins crying, but she covers her face with her pallu because she cannot be seen as weak, even to herself. The transitions and transformations are stunning.
Movie Review: Gangubai Kathiawadi’s Star Performance
Alia Bhatt is undoubtedly winning a slew of awards. Simply her best performance to date, she breathes new life into a historical character as if she were born to play it and be a Sanjay Leela Bhansali heroine. In scenes where she is supposed to break free, she is a firebrand, but watch her in the silences. When her lover tries to get physical in a song sequence, she stops him and tells him to caress her instead. Men have always used her physically, but none have ever given her the affection, care, and intimacy she craves, uff! She transforms herself physically, verbally, and aurally to become the Madam Of The Brothel. She disproved every single skeptic.
Until her next best, I want to remember Alia in a white and red saree, with open curls, walking through a crowd of people with wide smiles and affection in their eyes. She pulls Jim Sarbh to her and kisses his brow; she looks at her lover and joins her ‘altha’ clad hands. She sits down and looks at the camera, her hope rekindled. It reminded me of Shabana Azmi from Godmother. It’s about a woman who fights for her right to exist and rule her world. When society does not give it cordially, she knows how to make them do it.
In his brief appearance, Vijay Raaz was the second-best actor to grace Gangubai Kathiawadi. He plays a eunuch without succumbing to stereotypes. He doesn’t go overboard with the effeminacy that we’re used to seeing in movies. With his performance, he elevates the screenplay, and when he spars with Alia, it’s a joy to watch.
Karim Lala, played by Ajay Devgn, has a gangster attitude. It comes naturally to him and contributes to the film’s dramatic character. Seema Pahwa is deserving of this role, as are many others like it. She isn’t just made for comedy, and she proves it to the industry as a whole. In this cameo, Jim Sarbh is adorable and perfect.
Gangubai Kathiawadi Movie Review: The Last Word
After three consecutive blockbusters, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is attempting to change his style and evolve as a filmmaker. Alia Bhatt assists him with her flawless acting and demeanor. If you don’t see it on the big screen, you’re missing out on a real treat. Bhatt has set an unrealistically high standard for future Bhansali actors!