The Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial, Gangubai Kathiawadi, is making waves again, but this time on OTT-verse. After ranking #1 in India, Australia, and Singapore among others, Gangubai Kathiawadi is already making it to everyones’ weekend watchlist. Prior to its release, the film received a standing ovation at the Berlin Film festival. Released in theatres on the 25th of February, the film earned rave reviews and won critical acclaim for the stellar cinematic experience, and now made its way to the OTT world with a much-anticipated release on Netflix on April 26. With Sanjay Leela Bhansali creating an immersive world, here are 5 reasons why you should watch Gangubai Kathiawadi this weekend!

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Immersive Experience:

While Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known to break filmmaking grounds in his experimental take on his film universe. He creates an immersive cinematic ode every time he creates a masterpiece of a film. With Gangubai Kathiawadi, the industry veteran breaks the shackles of societal barriers by making a film on the titular character who does the unexpected – becomes the voice of sex workers and a benevolent benefactor to the orphans. Just like always, Sanjay Leela Bhansali hits another ball out of the park with this one.

Alia Bhatt’s Stellar Performance:

Year after year, Alia Bhatt is proving her finesse with her acting skills. With Gangubai Kathiawadi, her stellar performance is strong and convincing. She goes on to act so fabulously that she has forever etched her performance in the audience’s hearts. One of the primary reasons one should add the film to their weekend watch list.

Ajay Devgn’s Intriguing Cameo:

Ajay Devgn reunited with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali after 22 years. This reunitement brought to us an intriguing cameo in Gangubai Kathiawadi. He plays the role of Rahim Lala, a feared yet revered mafia man who wants to do things the ‘right’ way. Although Ajay plays the cameo, it was an essential part of the story and his performance was lauded by the masses.

Brilliant Cast:

Vijay Raaz plays Gangu’s rival Raziabai whose performance gave us goosebumps! Shantanu Maheshwari makes his Bollywood debut alongside Alia as Afshan. While Raziabai stands out in a daring and tenacious avatar, Afshan’s chemistry with Gangu left the theatre audience in awe. Apart from these, Seema Bhargava’s portrayal of Sheela Masi, Indira Tiwari’s rendition of Kamli, Jim Sarbh as Fezi, and Chhaya Kadam’s Rashmibai also delivered note-worthy performances and won the audiences’ acclaim.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Musical Magic:

Apart from a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film being a sensory experience and visual tonality, Gangubai Kathiawadi also aces on the musical front. The music transports us to a rustic setting that leaves you wanting more. The album comprises emotive as well as festive notes with soothing love ballads and interesting background music. ‘Jab Saiyaan’ was particularly loved by the audience and also saw trending on YouTube as well as social media. ‘Dholida’, composed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, is an energetic musical treat and Arijit Singh’s Muskurahat is as soulful as it gets!

While a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film is as intense of a cinematic experience as a magnum opus gets, the eye-catching visuals and a tease of the compelling music score that we got to witness in Gangubai Kathiawadi’s recently released trailer is exciting enough to make our countdown to the date of the release on 25th February!

The Alia Bhatt starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi is directed by veteran filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and is an adaption of Hussain Zaidi’s bestseller, Mafia Queens of Mumbai. Interestingly, this is also Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first project with Alia in the titular role where he strives to have us invested in every aspect of the filmmaking process including the most compelling of narratives! Dwelled into darkness at a tender age, Gangubai becomes a known name in the city with notorious criminals in her clientele.

With the stellar imagery and complementing music score in mind, here are 5 reasons why you should watch Gangubai Kathiawadi in theatres near you…

• SLB & his legacy

In 25 glorious years, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has given the audience something new and spectacular with every story and Gangubai Kathiawadi is taking his magic a notch higher. It’s impeccable as to how he has presented the story with grandeur. The filmmaker incorporates his artistic vision and inventiveness into films that stand out from the crowd. Also, it is a known fact that Sanjay Leela Bhansali movies set the Box Office on fire! Before Gangubai Kathiawadi, Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Black, Saawariya, Guzaarish, Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani to the more recent Padmaavat, all of these films have been blockbusters of their time. When it comes to this filmmaker’s vision, it’s a complete game changer!

• Empowering Story

Women-centric films have a certain allure and appeal to them. Yes, we have to say women-centric because the majority of the films feature male superstars. We love it when a woman portrays a badass character on screen, and Alia does a fantastic job. Alia Bhatt as Gangubai is quite an empowering story. Despite her young age, actress Alia Bhatt has sustained herself as a leading lady in Hindi cinema for the past decade, racking up credits including Gully Boy, Raazi, and Highway. Gangubai is someone who has experienced hardship and suffering and wishes for the children to have a better future than she had. She is a no-nonsense lady who believes that no guy other than herself has the right to govern or dictate her life. Alia plays the Queen of Mumbai, the brothel owner very effortlessly.

• Based On An Incredibly Untold Story

Let’s face it! Untold stories are so much better than reel life stories… Gangubai, one of the prominent names in Mumbai’s Kamathipura, ruled one of the biggest red light areas but never used her power to exploit young girls and women. Neither did she forcefully lead them into prostitution. You know the saying, ‘Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely’? Well, not in this case. Even After all the hardships, she faced in her life, she was determined to work for the betterment of women. The movie is all set to unfurl the struggles of Gangubai for her work towards the betterment of the Kamathipura.

• Impeccable Casting

The cast has excelled themselves. Apart from Alia, the film also features Ajay Devgn, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh and Seema Pahwa among others. Even though some of the cast appear to be supporting cast, their presence is undeniable. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know that Ajay Devgn, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh, and Seema Pahwa’s acting is one of the film’s most notable features and own the screen anytime they appear.

• Seeti Maar Dialogues

As it’s a real story about a powerful woman who fought for the rights of the children of women employed in Kamathipura, the dialogues had to be strong and the makers haven’t disappointed at all. Dialogues like “Kunwari Apne chhoda nahi, Shrimati kisine banaya nahi” or “Gangu Chaand thi aur Chaand rahegi” are as fierce as they get! Plus, dialogues mouthed in Alia’s accent are like a cherry on the top. One could also see countless memes based on Gangubai’s dialogue delivery!

As a result, when it comes to period drama or grandeur flicks, you can only trust Sanjay Leela Bhansali as that’s his forte. Having said that, Bhansali’s direction is outstanding, and this is based only on the trailer. He has the ability to create simple things in a unique way.

After a much-awaited world premiere at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, Gangubai Kathiawadi, Produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Dr. Jayantilal Gada (Pen Studios), is all set for a theatrical release on February 25, 2022.