Reflections after watching Gangubai Kathiawadi

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You'll like Gangubai Kathiawadi (GK) if you love stories of underdogs who just don't sit and whine about their hopelessness and don't let it get the better of them. Of course, you'll like it even more if you're a fan of visual spectacles by directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mani Ratnam, Thiagarajan Kumararaja and the likes.

In GK, Sanjay Leela Bhansali gives you a fly-on-the-wall view to the streets of Kamathipura and creates a world where Gangu rules over everything she sets her sight on.

The film begins with a young girl forced into prostitution and almost sets the tone for the darkness that comes later in the film. It still gives me the chills when they shove a piece of cloth in her mouth and pierce her nose with a ring and blood just oozes out of her nose. It's almost like Sanjay Leela Bhansali warning you about the darkness that unfurls later. The film taught me to take everything that life gives without complaining and make the best out of what I have.

It's a classic biopic of sorts that screams "the protagonist suffered so much and still managed to make it big." At a point in time, you start getting bored of this ideology that's imposed on the audience. 

Of course, there are things that you might not really agree with or grok. Why did Gangu ask her love interest to marry a woman from her kotha? Why does the film repeatedly reinforce the idea of giving respect to sex workers? Why does Gangu think women are above men? And a few other questions. But you'll love this film if just watch it for Alia Bhatt's superior acting and want to get a glimpse of the genius that is Sanjay Leela Bhansali!


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