Who Is Bharti Sonawane? Granddaughter Of Gangubai Opposing Sanjay Leela Bhansali Film

Gangubai Kathiawadi granddaughter Bharti Sonawane has been in news for quite some time now. She is one of the people and Gangubai's family members protesting the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film Gangubai Kathiawadi, which stars Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn amongst others.

The film is scheduled for a theatrical release tomorrow, February 25. But just like most Bhansali films like Padmaavat, this too has been riddled with legal cases and protests from the locals at the Kamathipura area in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The film got a green light for the release by the Bombay High Court but got stuck with the Supreme Court of India. The SC suggested yesterday that Bhansali should change the title of the film to resolve the conflict and cases around it.

Suggested Reading: Who Is Babu Raoji Shah And Why Has He Sued The Makers Of Gangubai Kathiawadi?

The case is spearheaded by Sonawane and Gangubai's son Babu Raoji Shah, who allege that the film misrepresents Gangubai, who according to them was a great social worker. Shah even said that the family did not know about the release of a film on Gangubai until they came across the promo. Post which life has been difficult for them as suddenly the image of Gangubai through the film has been created of a sex worker.

In the film, the role of Gangubai is played by Alia Bhatt. The trailer of the film shows Gangubai's life as a sex worker and the journey to becoming one of the mafia queens of Mumbai and a social worker, who fought for the rights of sex workers and the education of their children. The film has been taken from a few chapters of the book titled Mafia Queens Of Mumbai by Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges.

(left to right) Gangubai Kathiawadi film and Mafia Queens of Mumbai book cover

Gangubai Kathiawadi Granddaughter: Who Is Bharti Sonawane?

One of the cases filed against the film in the Supreme Court is by Gangubai's granddaughter Bharti Sonawane along with her legal representative Narendra. According to The Times Of India, Sonawane used some scathing words and alleged the film maligns the image of her grandmother. Thus, her family is being ostracised for no reason.

Sonawane told ETimes, "No consent was taken before making this film. And whatever image of Gangubai the makers have portrayed is completely wrong. Our lawyer is working towards stopping the film from being released. We are being denied justice and opportunity since 2020."

Calling it defamation, she also said that it will not be tolerated as "she was my grandmother. It wasn't her mistake that she stayed in Kamathipura. Different types of people stay in Kamathipura. So, are all women from Kamathipura prostitutes? He has defamed our name. We are not able to show our faces to anyone. Our relatives and peers ask us, "Aisi thi kya aapki Nani (Was your grandmother like this)?"

According to Sonawane, Gangubai had adopted four children--two daughters named Shakuntala Ranjit Kawi and Sushila Reddy, and two sons named Babu Raoji Shah and Rajinikanth Raoji Shah.

(Feature Image Credit: Bhansali films/ ichowk)