Actress Alia Bhatt's latest movie 'Gangubai Kathiwadi' has yet again managed to grab the headlines but this time it's because of Gangubai's family - her purported adopted son Babu Raoji Shah and her granddaughter Bharti are not happy about the film. The trailer of the movie was recently launched and the movie is all set to release on February 25.
After Babu Raoji Shah filed a petition against the film, a Mumbai court summoned filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Alia Bhatt last year. But, eventually, the Bombay High Court refused to suspend the release of 'Gangubai Kathiawadi'. Not only this, but the court also granted an interim stay on the criminal defamation charges against the makers of the film. The case is currently on hold.
In conversation with Aaj Tak, Babu Raoji Shah expressed his feelings about the movie and said, "My mother has been turned into a prostitute. People are now saying inexplicable things about my mother".
Bharti Gangubai, Gangubai's granddaughter, also slammed the filmmakers, accusing them of defaming the family for financial gain. She said, "The makers have defamed my family out of greed for money. It cannot be accepted. You did not ask for the family's consent before going ahead with the project. You did not come to us while writing the book, nor did you seek our permission before making the film." She further added, “My grandmother has worked for the upliftment of the sex workers there throughout her life. What have these people turned my grandmother into?”
Narendra, Gangubai's lawyer, said that the family has been hiding and relocating since 2020 when they first learned that a film about Gangubai was being made. He went on to say that many of Gangubai's family are now doubting the image, wondering if she was truly a prostitute and not a social worker as they had claimed. Narendra revealed that the family’s “mental state is not good”, and that “no one is able to live in peace”.
