"Taqdeer mein aansun thhe, fitrat mein hasi, heroine banne aayi thhi khud cinema ban gayi." These lines in Milind Gunaji's voiceover aptly describes the journey of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's protagonist from 'Ganga Harjeevandas Kathiawadi' to 'Gangubai Kathiawadi'.
The director's latest outing is a mix of facts and fiction with his signature grandiose touch. After a series of larger than life love stories like Devdas, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat, Bhansali returns back to a simpler world where it's all about finding a purpose when life throws a curveball at you. Does it pack a punch? Let's find out.
What's Yay: Alia Bhatt, dialogues
What's Nay: Weak screenplay
Story
With a thumri playing in the background, we see a pre pubescent girl being forcefully readied for her 'first night'. There's talcum powder smeared on her face, lipstick dabbed hurriedly and a piece of cloth pushed into her mouth to muffle her cries as a hand roughly pierces her nose with a nose pin. In spite of the speckle of blood around the ornament, it's her vacant eyes which catches your attention.
This is not an unlikely sight in the red-light areas of Mumbai's Kamathipura in the 60s. On the other hand, somewhere in Kathiawadi, a young spirited girl Ganga Harjeevandas Kathiawadi (Alia Bhatt), harbours dreams of becoming a Bollywood heroine.
Under the pretext of helping her in achieving stardom, her boyfriend Ramnik coaxes her to elope with him to Mumbai. On reaching the city, the smooth-talking guy sells her off to a brothel for a sum of thousand rupees. Left with no other choice, Ganga turns a prostitute and embraces a new name 'Gangubai'.
A brutal encounter with a customer brings her face-to-face with one of the city's most revered mobster Rahim Lala (Ajay Devgn) who aids her in becoming 'Gangubai-Mafia Queen.' With her shrewd mind and underworld/political connections, Gangubai soon becomes a messiah for all the sex workers in Kamathipura.
Direction
Sanjay Leela Bhansali picks up a chapter 'The Matriarch Of Kamathipura' from Hussain Zaidi-Jane Borges' novel 'Mafia Queens Of Mumbai' and fictionalizes it for the big screen with Alia Bhatt stepping into the shoes of real-life brothel madam Gangubai Kathiawadi. While he keeps his narrative revolutionary to tell the tale of a woman who rose from the ashes, his signature touch lingers throughout the film in the form of vibrant frames and lingering music.
On the flip side, it's the writing which fails us this time! Sanjay Leela Bhansali falls short of weaving an engaging screenplay from his research material. Some of the scenes stand out individually rather than making a mark in totality. However, the dialogues coupled with Alia Bhatt's swag do earn some claps.
Performances
Amid all the apprehensions around her casting in the film, Alia Bhatt turns out to be deft performer instead. Be it as the lively Ganga in the initial scenes or the sharp-tongued Gangubai who is a perfect combination of spunk and savagery and has a heart of gold, the actress nails every shade of her character's journey.
Seema Pahwa as the brothel madam Seemabai and Vijay Raaz as the trans madam Raziabai play their parts effectively though one wished that Bhansali had added more depth to their characters. Shantanu Maheshwari makes a promising debut and shares an affable chemistry with Alia. Ajay Devgn in his extended guest appearance gets to mouth some mass dialogues. Jim Sarbh gets some crackling moments with Alia.
Technical Aspects
Speaking about Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films, the maestro filmmaker has a Midas touch when it comes to the aesthetic value. With the help of cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee, the director has created a vintage world in Gangubai Kathiawadi. Together, the duo paint Gangubai's world in shades of soft hues, pristine whites and flamboyant colors in contrast to the vibrant shades of the outside world. When it comes to the editing part, Bhansali's scissors go a tad blunt which takes away some points from the score card.
Music
While 'Meri Jaan' and 'Jab Saiyaan' gives us a glimpse of the budding romance between Gangubai (Alia) and Afsaan (Shantanu Maheshwari), 'Dholida' captures the essence of Navratri. 'Jhume Re Gori' captivates us with its lively beats. On the other hand, the qawaali number 'Shikayat' make us go 'waah waah' over its beautiful lyrics. Our picks from the music album are 'Jab Saiyaan', 'Shikayat' and 'Dholida'.
Verdict
One of the scenes in the film features Gangubai Kathiawadi addressing a crowd of women and saying, 'Shakti, Sampatti, Sadbudhi - teeno hi aurate hai, toh inn mardo ko kis baat ka guroor hai?'
Similarly in a film with an underlying theme of woman empowerment, it's Alia Bhatt who keeps her shoulders sturdy and makes sure that 'Gangu chand thhi aur chand hi rahegi' till the end credits roll.
We give 2.5 stars out of 5 for Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi.
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