10 Things To Know About Alia Bhatt Starrer Biopic Gangubai Kathiawadi

Gangubai Kathiawadi Story: Here are 10 things to know about Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming directorial, starring Alia Bhatt and Shantanu Maheshwari.

After the announcement of release of the official teaser of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming directorial Gangubai Kathiawadi was made today, fans can't keep their calm to catch the glimpse of the highly-awaited biopic crime movie starring Alia Bhatt.

After a series of obstacles during the shoot of the movie like the COVID-19 pandemic, a lawsuit and Alia's hospital visit, the movie finally resumed shooting in January and its teaser will be up for audience tomorrow to witness the reportedly biggest project of Bhansali Productions till date.

Here are 10 things to know about the upcoming Gangubai Kathiawadi story:

1. The biopic crime drama movie is based on a chapter of Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens of Mumbai written by Hussain Zaidi, and revolves around the life of Gangubai Kothewali, also known as the 'Madam of Kamathipura'.
2. Gangubai Kothewali was a sex worker, social activist and the madam of a brothel in Kamathipura, Maharashtra, in the 1960s. She was sold into prostitution at an early age by her suitor, Ramnik Lal, after running away from home to Mumbai. After initial hardships, she went on to become an influential pimp in the city, with reported underworld connections, drug peddling and ordering murders.
3. However, she was known for working for the upliftment and empowerment of sex workers and also met the former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to discuss the struggles of sex workers and to improve their living conditions. Furthermore, she was the only brothel owner to own a Bentley car. Read more about Gangubai here.
4. The film stars Alia Bhatt in the titular role. Meanwhile, the cast also includes Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz and Seema Pahwa. Moreover, Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Huma Qureshi will reportedly appear in special cameos.
5. It will mark the Bollywood debut of popular television personality and dancer Shantanu Maheshwari, who portrays the role of Ramnik Lal.
6. The biopic was earlier named Heera Mandi and Priyanka Chopra was cast as Gangubai, but she was later replaced by Alia Bhatt in September 2019.
7.  Just like in case of many other movies shot in 2020, the movie's production was put on hold in March 2020 due to the lockdown owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, the film had completed almost 70 per cent of the shooting.
8. Alia Bhatt resumed shooting for Gangubai Kathiawadi on 6 October last year. As per the reports, she was reportedly admitted to a hospital in Mumbai on January 17, due to ‘exertion and exhaustion'. However, she was discharged the same day and resumed shooting for the movie.
9. A lawsuit was filed against the makers of the movie and the authors of the book, which the film is based on, by the adoptive son of Gangubai, Babuji Shah. He claimed that the novel contained a defamatory account against Gangubai. He further added that it tarnished her reputation and damaged their rights to privacy. The plea further restricted the permanent sale of publishing, selling, or creating third-party rights on the novel. However, Mumbai City Civil Court recently dismissed the plea. Read more about it here.
10. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has not only directed the film, but also produced, written and given the background score to it. This is the first time that Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Alia Bhatt have come together for a project, which has been reported as the biggest production of his till date. Moreover, the teaser will be unveiled tomorrow on the occasion of the filmmaker’s birthday.