Explained: Who was Gangubai Kathiawadi, and why the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film on her is being opposed

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next, Gangubai Kathiawadi , starring Alia Bhatt in the titular role, had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival 2022 . The film is based on the life of Gangubai Kathewali, a brothel owner in Mumbai’s Kamathipura area.

A controversial but formidable figure in the 1960s, Gangubai’s story was documented by author and journalist S Hussain Zaidi in his book Mafia Queens Of Mumbai. Ahead of its release in India on 25 February, we look at her life, the upcoming film, and the surrounding controversy.

Who was Gangubai Kathiawadi?

Gangubai was born Ganga Harjeevandas in the village of Kathiawad in Gujarat, sometime in the 1940s. At a young age, Gangubai ran away from her home after secretly marrying her father’s accountant, Ramnik Laal. The two arrived in Mumbai, where Ramnik tricked her and sold her into prostitution for Rs 500.

After a rough beginning, Gangubai rose through the ranks, and gradually ended up operating her own brothel. She is also known to also have lobbied for the rights of commercial sex workers, writes The Indian Express .

In his book, Zaidi accounts that Gangubai was known to be under the protection of Mumbai mafia don Karim Lala. It is said that she even tied a rakhi on Karim Lala’s wrist after he promised to protect her from one of his goons who had raped Gangubai twice.

While Bhatt portrays the role of Gangubai, Ajay Devgn makes a cameo as Karim Lala. Vijay Raaz plays her arch-rival, Raziya Bai, who is in no mood to let go of the dominance over Kamathipura. The film also stars Seema Pahwa, Shantanu Maheshwari, and Jim Sarbh among others.

The shooting of the film began in December 2019, and wrapped in two years. Alia Bhatt had shared her experiences of shooting the film in a lengthy note on Instagram. She had written, “This film and set has been through two lockdowns… two cyclones.. director and actor getting Covid during the making!!! The troubles the set has faced is another film altogether! But through all that and more.. what I take away is the gigantic life-changing experience !"

Why are people opposing the film’s release?

Gangubai reportedly passed away in the mid ’70s, and did not have children of her own. There are however several individuals who claim they were adopted by her.

A number of them have objected to her portrayal as a prostitute in the film, and sought a stay on its release.

Advocate Narendra Dubey, who is fighting the case on behalf of Gangubai’s adopted children, stated that the woman was a social worker who fought for the rights of prostitutes. He also asserted political leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Morarji Desai, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to visit her home during elections, as per a report in Hindustan Times.

“Nobody wants their mother to be portrayed as a prostitute. Even the son of a prostitute won’t want that,” Dubey told the media outlet in an interview. He explained that the portrayal of Gangubai as a sex worker “is just for the sake of money, it assassinates the character of a person.” Dubey further added that while Zaidi had written in his book that Gangubai never wanted to become a prostitute, the film has explicitly portrayed her as one.

Dubey also stated that Gangubai’s family had gone to court after the first promo of the movie came out in 2021. A case seeking a stay on the film is pending before the Supreme Court.

Gangubai Kathiawadi is slated to release this Friday on 25 February.