Alia Bhatt will portray the title character in 'Gangubai Kathiawadi.' Sanjay Leela Bhansali directs the film, in which Bhatt plays a brothel madam.
When the first look of 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' was released, several social media users voiced concern that Alia Bhatt was too young for the role. Following the release of the 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' trailer, the actress, who will be 29 in March this year, was able to change a few minds. However, some individuals continue to say Bhatt is too young for the role.
In a recent interview, Alia Bhatt addressed these concerns. She stated that not just a portion of the crowd, but also her friends and close ones, thought she was a touch too young for the character. However, Alia noted that the impressions may have been formed as a result of a photograph of Gangubai Kothewali, the subject of the film, depicting the madam of a brothel in her old age. The 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' actress emphasised that the film is about the brothel madam's childhood.
“Firstly, she’s not old. She is 30 so take the thought out that I am playing an old woman. The thing is we don’t have much information on Gangubai. The one picture we got of her, in black and white, she’s old. So there’s a feeling that ‘Oh, she’s Gangubai and Alia’s wrong.’ Obviously, in that context, I am wrong (for the role). But it’s not character. Gangubai became powerful very young in her life. That was actually one of the facts that at a very young age, she became a caretaker of a brothel. Things in her life happened very fast, at a very young age. We had to show a transition from the age of 16-17 to the age she’s shown in the film, which is 31-32," she said, in an interview with RJ Siddharth Kannan.
She went on to say that people would refer to her baby-like face as youthful, which is soft, charming, and other 'irritating adjectives,' making her an unsuitable fit for the film. “It’s not something that I disagree with at all that in terms of perception, you won’t think (that Alia fits the bill). But that’s the fun that you won’t imagine that anyone can do this," she added.
Bhatt added, “My own friends and people were like ‘Oh you’re too young’ or ‘you’re looking young (for the part)’. I was like ‘okay, if that’s what you feel but watch the film and then see.’ When they watched the trailer, everybody was like ‘oh you’re not looking young, it’s working.'"
Bhatt's debut collaboration with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is 'Gangubai Kathiawadi.' Based on the biography of Gangubai Kothewali, a young girl sold into prostitution by her suitor Ramnik Lal, and adapted from a portion of Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens of Mumbai, Alia will play the lead character. Ajay Devgn appears in a prolonged cameo, as do Vijay Raaz, Seema Bhargava Pahwa, and Jim Sarbh. The film will be released on February 25th.