She was just 16-year-old when in the garb of love and dreams, Gangubai Harjivandas was sold for Rs 1000 and forced in prostitution in Mumbai's Kamathipura area. She eventually rose to power and worked towards making lives of sex workers in that area, better. So, when actress Alia Bhatt took on the opportunity to play the character in filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film 'Gangubai Kathiawadi', she knew that understanding the life of this woman was important. Thankfully, as she says, Bhatt has always been a highly sensitive and empathetic person.
In an interview with Outlook, Bhatt reveals what went into portraying one of the well known Mafia Queens of Mumbai.
Dressed in a white anarkali suit, Bhatt made herself comfortable before she started talking about the character with us, during the Delhi leg of the film's promotion.
Answering how she got into the skin of this controversial character, the actress tells us, "In terms of empathy and understanding of where the other person is coming from, in terms of thinking and feeling their story, I was very comfortable doing it. I am also in general a very sensitive and empathetic person, which is why if a negative energy walks into the room, my energy levels change and I have to leave the room immediately. So, understanding Gangubai was about empathising with that person and understanding the situation she went through. That is the 'how' of I played the part. Really just transported myself to that time and the text supports that. It's not that it happened by itself."
Daughter of acclaimed filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan, Alia Bhatt shares that although she had a very secure childhood, her understanding of the world truly happened when she started playing different characters.
"I believe that in terms of the upbringing that I had, I have had a very protected childhood. Went to school, went home and then I started going to work. My exposure really started as an actor when I started playing characters. Like when I played Mary Jane from 'Udta Punjab', or Sehmat from 'Raazi' or Veera from 'Highway' or Gangubai, the exposure only broadens when I start emphathising and understanding the character. I believe in terms of my upbringing, conversation in my house was very candid, open, things were said very openly. No one used to shy away from calling spade a spade and that makes me very comfortable with emotions," says the actress.
The film is directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who, like his earlier films, has given the film a larger-than-life production. Known for creating an alternate universe through his films like 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', 'Goliyo Ki Raas Leela: Ram Leela' and 'Padmavat', the filmmaker had branded a reputation for himself.
However, in Alia Bhatt's experience of working with him, the film's set is not just a prop but has meaning behind it.
"When he is on sets, every frame that he has put has an emotive and emotional reason behind it. Nothing is just for the way it is. Even when I am not acting and just sitting behind the camera, I am learning every detail that he is bringing to the set. It was a huge learning experience. Whenever he does something, he has a reason behind it and he talks about it. He asks for opinions, he is very involved. It's not like it's happening silently. You can clearly see the picture he is trying to paint," she says.
The film has been subjected to various controversies and opinions from the time it was announced in 2019. One of the most popular objections that was raised was if Alia Bhatt is the right part to play a brothel madame and a mafia queen, considering she appeared to be too vulnerable to play the part.
Did that affect her in any way?
"I don't think I felt so worried because we knew that the information that people had was very little. People thought that Gangubai is an old character because of the image that was already out there. The screenplay speaks for itself, that it is a young 16-year-old girl who is thrown into prostitution and the life she leads post that in her mid 20s. late 20s and maybe just touching 30s. So, in that sense age has nothing to do with it. If you are talking about the softness of my face, I don;t think hard experiences choose you based on if your face is soft or hard. That again logically didn't make sense. As long as the character is entertaining and the film is impactful, I don't think that would make any difference," says the actress.
So, playing the part wasn't too dark for her or affected her?
"It did affect me but it wasn't dark. It was intense and rigorous for me. The thing is that she (Gangubai) is the sunshine in a bad world. It's not like the character is dark in a dark work. It's intense but mazedaar, so I live vicariously through it. I don't think anybody can walk out of the film feeling heavy. This tonality is rare. You still walk out with a smile on your face. You may be emotional but there is still a smile. So even though I was playing this part in terms of intensity, the physical exhaustion in carrying the weight of this character was more than the gruesomeness of the world," says the actress.
Alia Bhatt's mother Soni Razdan, too played the character of a sex worker in Shyam Benegals's 1983 film 'Mandi'. Were there any conversations she had with her mother for the part?
"No, because 'Mandi' was a very different film. Kamathipura is the backdrop, if you watch the film you will know its about the mafia queen, how she rises to power, how she fights for women, how you see her struggle personally through and the experience of the impact she had on people. That is the film. It's not about working of Kamathipura. Of course, there are layers and subtlety of that. There are beautiful sequences of the lives these women lead but the women are beautiful, chirpy positive, and crack jokes on themselves," says Alia Bhatt.
