Gangubai Kathiawadi Review: Alia Bhatt sinks her teeth into the character to deliver one of her best performances yet

When the posters of Gangubai Kathiawadi were unveiled by makers, it left fans curious to know more about the film. While some couldn’t wait to see another Sanjay Leela Bhansali masterpiece, others shared their concerns with the casting. There were many who felt that Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt , who has headlined the biographical crime drama film, was too young to play the role of a brothel’s madame. After the trailer was dropped, many doubts were cleared out because the actress perfectly fit the role. Well, after watching the film, we can assure you that no other actress could have played the role as gracefully and as perfectly as Alia has. Here’s what we actually thought of Gangubai Kathiawadi!

The story begins at a brothel where a young 14 year old girl is being dolled up after she is sold into prostitution by her lover. When she refuses to give in for days and continues asking them to let her go home, the madam of the brothel decides to call Gangubai of Kamathipura. Alia makes a smashing entry and her powerful walk and aura keep you glued to the screen. We then learn about Ganga’s story of how she, the daughter of a barrister, turned into Gangu after her boyfriend Ramnik Lal sold her for 1000 Rs. We won’t indulge into the story of how, when, why and what happened after because this is a no spoiler zone!

As the story traces Gangu’s life, we meet many interesting characters along the way-- the evil Sheila maasi played wonderfully by Seema Pahwa, lover boy Afsaan aka Shantanu Maheshwari who makes you fall in love with him in an instant, Vijay Raaz as Raziabai who owns the screen the entire time he is on, and Ajay Devgn as Rahim Lala. While he is seen in an extended cameo, every time he appears on-screen he leaves you with goosebumps. Devgn’s strong personality and the fierce yet calm look on his face help him play the role with utter finesse.

Coming to Alia aka Kamathipura’s chaand Gangu-- she lights up the screen like the moon lights up the night sky. May it be her deep voice, hand gestures, her walk or the way she calls people ‘raja’ lovingly-- the actress will leave you speechless. She has sunk her teeth so deep into this character that you don’t see Alia, you only see Gangu. She is badass yet delicate. You feel bad for her but also are in awe of her strong personality. There is a maturity in her performance, you see pain and experience in her eyes and she no longer looks like a 25-27 year old girl. Also what’s interesting is that she isn’t the madame of a brothel, she is actually the ‘gharwaali’, which means the caretaker of the brothel. Alia Bhatt has done an incredible job and we completely agree with filmmaker Shashank Khaitan’s words: “ Shakti , sampati, sadbhudhi aur beshumar talent, sab iss ladki ke pass hai...” Even if you aren’t an Alia Bhatt fan, this film will change your opinion about her as an actress. Each of her expressions, emotions will touch your heart and convince you to agree that she is one of the best actresses that the industry has at the moment. Hats off to the actress and the story teller. This is a surprisingly good casting and we can’t get enough of it!

Based on S. Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai, Gangubai Kathiawadi is an out and out Bhansali film-- the music, the larger than life sets, the direction, the cinematography is all on point. Watching Gangubai fight for the rights of sex workers, education for their children and their home fills your heart with love and pride. The songs are beautiful and fit perfectly into the story. They don’t look out of place in anyway. Except for one or two faulty camera angles and a few jokes which may offend some, but are appropriate because they depict the dark reality of the society, this film will leave you with no complaints. All in all, it is a cinematic experience you don’t want to miss. Gangubai Kathiawadi will surely be a milestone in Alia’s bright career.