New Update
★★★★★
Rewinding those great films made over the years about a prostitute's character, one of the earliest classics I remember is Shen Nu / The Goddess (1934), made by Chinese filmmaker Wu Yonggang. That was the heartbreaking story of a mother who had to abandon her son so that he would never have to take taunts from people for being a prostitute's son. Then came Kenji Mizoguchi's The Life of Oharu (1952), which was about the struggle of a prostitute and her drowning career after her beauty age is gone. The best film ever made about a prostitute's career came in 1957, when Italian Master Federico Fellini conferred with his Masterpiece Le notti di Cabiria / Nights Of Cabiria. For those who don't know, this was the film that took away the Oscar doll from Mother India—quite possibly the most revered film in the history of Bollywood. Gulzar's poetic mind gave birth to Mausam (1975), in which Sharmila Tagore played a double role that brought her a National Award, and one of them was a prostitute's character. After this, Bollywood hasn't made any significant films based on a prostitute's story, probably because the content seemed socially damaging and defamatory./movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-2.jpg)
/movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-2.jpg)
Sanjay Leela Bhansali planned Gangubai's biopic almost a decade ago, but somehow things didn't go as per plan. Now in 2022, even after 2 years of coma (pandemic), he finished his ambitious project with one of the finest young female actors available in Bollywood. Gangubai Kathiawadi is an ambitious film, and it shows the dedication of the filmmaker on screen, but the storyline is not at all universal-friendly. This glorified tale of infamous Gangubai doesn't look glorifying at all because it was never meant to appeal to a normal, sophisticated audience. Yes, it may please the specific chunk of the audience who might love the feminine power shown in the film, and the entire Kamathipura section can have it screened every Sunday. But the family audience and the mainstream sector of moviegoers will forget it in the very next moment The End appears./movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-9.jpg)
/movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-9.jpg)
The film is based on a chapter of Hussain Zaidi's book, Mafia Queens Of Mumbai. It's the story of Ganga Harjivandas, a simple Kathiawad girl who is sold by her boyfriend, and now has to embrace the ways of destiny and swing it in her favour. That simple, gentle Ganga becomes Rowdy Gangu, a prostutite as well as a mafia queen. Gangubai Kathiwadi shows her journey of how she begins working as a sex worker and, in no time, marks her own territory, becoming Gangubai. The film then follows her political ambitions to her meeting with India's Prime Minister to save the roofs of about 4,000 sex workers in Kamathipura.
What are your top 3 Alia Bhatt performances? Well, you need to update the list because Gangubai Kathiawadi is going to enter the list with high weightage. Alia's accent, looks, attitude, transformation, dedication, everything is top notch here. Whether it was Highway's climax scene or Raazi's self-control scene, I have always loved seeing her in those tough and challenging scenes where she had to scream her stomach out, and believe it or not, in Gangubai Kathiawadi she has outdone those two films. Certainly her best performance to date, and, like many other actors, it appears in an SLB film!
Gangubai Kathiawadi has got a phenomenal supporting cast. Whether it is the cute-looking Shantanu Maheshwari or the deadly-looking Vijay Raaz, whenever they appear on screen, they make sure that they leave a mark. Even Seema Pahwa, Chhaya Kadam and Indira Tiwari leave you wanting more. Ajay Devgn as Rahim Lala is lit in every single scene. He hardly has four scenes to his name, but what hysteria he creates! His stellar performance will leave his fans thirsty, and they may go to warn Bhansali, hold a candle march, or even riot in order to persuade him to do a solo on Karim Lala, aka Rahim Lala. He sets the screen on fire in every single appearance, as if he was born to play a gangster on screen. This is definitely a mini version of Sultan Mirza.
Coming to the negatives, first of all, it's a deadly long narrative. It's almost 160 minutes long and you have nothing to see that you couldn't predict. It follows all those traditional features of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali product, with just one chance that it all happens inside Kamathipura. The dialogues have infused some life into this half-dead storyline, and how. Not only because they have rowdyism and abusive elements, but because they are fearless, reckless and powerful. Not a single woman or girl will leave the theatre without clapping atleast once in their entire viewing experience. Gangubai's feminism is brutally honest for sex workers, and if you don't like that, you have Rahim Lala's swag and honesty about always doing the right thing.
No doubt, Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography will have you spellbound. The canvas, the framework, displaying the naturalism of the sets and aspect ratio, he has done an amazing job there. SLB as a music director has remained underrated, undeservingly. But this time he hasn't reached the high standard he set for himself. Saiyaan is an audio to look out for, whereas Dholida and Jhoome Re are visually appealing. None of the song leaves an indelible impression on you. The background score by two Balharas sounds impressive on one or two occasions, but otherwise nothing noticeable.
What it lacks the most is an engaging screenplay and a gripping line-up of events. The marathon journey of Gangu never looks convincing because all the conflicts in her life end up without any strong results. Gangu becomes a Mafia queen, but do we see her in that chair? No. Gangu fights for the election, but what happens after that? We don't know. Gangu sacrifices her love – just like that, and do we have any proper follow-up for that? No. Gangu even sizzles on the magazine cover and gives a big, loud speech, but what does she get from it? Nothing. These questions will make you believe that Bhansali's craft is not cement-proof./movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-8.jpg)
/movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-12.jpg)
/movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-4.jpg)
/movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-11.jpg)
/movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-6.jpg)
/movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-10.jpg)
/movietalkies/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/gangubai-rev-8.jpg)
For some reason, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali appears to have been missing something for quite some time. When he made prestigious stories, they were marked by controversies, and somehow he just couldn't surpass his cinematically best works like Black (2005) and Guzaarish (2010). Gangubai Kathiawadi may not be as controversial as Ram Leela (2013), Bajirao Mastani (2015), or Padmaavat (2018), but it is a much lower standard and damaged story in comparison. Of course, those three films had strong source material, while Gangubai is a niche one. Despite that, he still carries it through, with lots of struggle, of course. This script couldn't have gotten a better execution, but does it have enough to offer? The answer is No. Moreover, it's not a film that the entire family can sit together and watch. Overall, an ambitious project with an Average outcome. Alia Bhatt's impeccable performance and Ajay Devgn's stellar cameo have somehow made it watchable. Watch it for them and nothing else.