Alia Bhatt cast as lead in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next Gangubai Kathiawadi; film to release on 11 September, 2020

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next film will be Gangubai Kathiawadi, which will see Alia Bhatt in the titular role. The film will be bankrolled by Bhansali Productions and Jayantilal Gada's PEN India Ltd.

The announcement was made by leading film trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

Alia Bhatt and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Images from Twitter

Here is the tweet

The makers are yet to reveal the plot of Gangubai Kathiawadi as well as the rest of the cast. The film is scheduled to hit cinemas on 11 September, 2020.

Previously, Bhansali had announced Inshallah, which would see him collaborate with Salman Khan after Khamoshi, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and Saawariya. Bhatt was signed as the female lead but the onscreen pairing faced criticism for the age gap between the two actors. Speaking about the criticism against the pairing, Bhatt had stated that she was unaware of any such negative press, and was only greeted with excitement for the project.

However, in August, both Khan and Bhansali Productions announced the film, scheduled to hit cinemas on Eid 2020, had been shelved indefinitely. Khan assured his fans a different project of his would release on Eid 2020 instead.

Besides Gangubai Kathiawadi, Bhansali is co-producing Mann Bairagi, based on the life of PM Narendra Modi. Ssanjay Tripaathy will helm the project.

Bhatt was previously seen in Gully Boy, India's official entry to Academy Awards 2020, and Kalank, a box office dud backed by Dharma Productions. Her upcoming projects include Brahmastra with Ranbir Kapoor, Mahesh Bhatt's directorial comeback Sadak 2, and Karan Johar's multi-starrer Takht. Bhatt will also make her Telugu language debut in SS Rajamouli's RRR. Starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR, RRR will narrate the stories of well-known revolutionaries — Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem.