Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Alia Bhatt Reveals How She Prepped For Gangubai Kathiawadi; 'Watched Meena Kumari's Work, Ate Homemade Food'
Ever since the trailer of Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi dropped, there has been a lot of buzz around the actress' stunning transformation and how she has got into the skin of her role of a brothel madam. Recently in an interview with a news agency, Alia opened up on how she prepped for this challenging character.
The Gully Boy actress told PTI that she watched a lot of classic Hindi films especially those of Meena Kumari as director Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted her to channel the old world charm and grace that the heroines of that era had. She said hat she also watched films like Shabana Azmi-Smita Patel's Mandi which also featured her mother Soni Razdan, American flick Memoirs Of A Geisha and other old Indian movies as a part of her preparation.
Alia was quoted as saying, "He (Bhansali) wanted me to watch Meena Kumari's work a lot, her expressions... the way she would sing a song, although I am not going all out singing songs in the movie. There is a certain sadness in her eyes, but there is a power to her face. He would say, 'See her face, which is so full'... I also watched Mandi."
The actress said that director Sanjay Leela Bhansali also instructed to eat and be happy on the sets. Alia shared, "I had the most amount of food on the sets. During the shoot of Gangubai Kathiawadi, I was eating all my favourite 'ghar ka' (homemade) food. I had a great time."
The Brahmastra star said that as a 90s kid, she grew up as a big Govinda fan, watching films purely for entertainment but when she forayed into acting, she was recommended to watch certain films due to which she ended up seeing some of the great performances of Hindi cinema.
"Being an actor is one thing and being a heroine is another. I have been referred to watch these films and whenever I do, I only have admiration, whether it is for Waheeda Rehman ji, Shabana Azmi ji, Madhubala ji... The way they would do these long shots, it gives you goosebumps. Somehow, we have lost that charm of presenting a heroine like that, that old-world charm," Alia told the news agency.
Calling Gangubai Kathiawadi her 'most creatively satisfying experience', Alia recalled rewatching all of Bhansali's movies while shooting this period film so much so that it made her actor-beau Ranbir Kapoor thought that she was 'obsessed'. Alia admitted that initially she was nervous about playing this titular character but Sanjay Leela Bhansali was quite clear about his decision of casting her.
She shared that there were plans for her to visit Kamathipura incognito to interact with sex workers for her role but they were scrapped at the last moment. So, she watched films by great actors which helped her understand the psyche. Alia further emphasized that her upcoming film makes important social points without being preachy.
Besides Alia Bhatt, Gangubai Kathiawadi also stars Ajay Devgn in a pivotal cameo along Seema Pahwa, Vijay Raaz, and Jim Sarbh playing key characters. The film is slated to release on February 25.
