Sanjay Leela Bhansali opens up on Gangubai Kathiawadi's warm reception at Berlinale: 'Deeply moved'

As he flies back to Mumbai from Berlin, Sanjay Leela Bhansali   is “deeply moved” by the response to his latest offering  _Gangubai Kathiawadi_ .

“The Berlin Film Festival has always been kind to me. This time since the pandemic, the festival was again held with delegates present physically. This was my first  journey out of India in two years, and what a wonderful  experience it was!" Bhansali speaks at the Berlin airport right before boarding for Mumbai.

“The best part of showing Gangubai  Kathiawadi in Berlin was that the audience got it completely without explanations.

This is Mumbai in the 1960s, and a very specific culture. But the Berlin audience saw the film the way we wanted it to be seen: as a humane, emotional, warm, and funny story of a woman who lived life on her own terms.

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They loved the film, and they loved Alia [Bhatt, lead actress]. There was a lot of curiosity about the other actors as well and the music, which I am very proud of. The six songs are composed by me,” says Bhansali.

The music of Gangubai Kathiawadi displays a rare versatility: from the smoky-bluesy seductive sound of Neeti Mohan’s ‘Meri Jaan,’ the heart-pounding Garba beats of ‘ Dholida ,’ the Begum Akhtar-styled vocals of new singer Archana Gore in ‘Shikayat,’ the frisky folksy sound of ‘Jhume Gori,’ the seductive sound of Shreya Ghosal falling in love in ‘Jab Saiyyan,’ and Arjit Singh’s heartbreaking lament in ‘Muskurat.’

Bhansali says he had a proper place for all the songs. “People presumed Gangubai Kathiawadi was a serious, dark film with no space for music. But it was always a bright, fun film with lots of songs and music. My Gangubai  loves  to sing and dance,” says Bhansali.

As far as the Indian release in cinemas on 25 February is concerned, Bhansali says, “The theatres have now  gone back to 100 percent capacity. Everything has  suddenly gone back to normal. It’s as if the Gods have blessed  Gangubai.”

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based journalist. He’s been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.