GANGA SE GANGUBAI TAK KI GAJAB DAASTAN THE SAGA OF A GIRL WHO CREATED A SENSATION IN BOMBAY IN THE 70s... BY ALI PETER JOHN

Stories about a little "star " struck girl reaching Bombay and being exploited by sharks and lured into prostitution in the red light areas of Kamathipura in Central Bombay have been told countless times in books , cinema and documentaries and these days even in docudramas , but when a filmmaker like Sanjay Leela Bhansaali who has made films like Devdas , Bajirao Mastani and Padmavat makes a film like Gangubai Kathiawadi based on a similar story, it certainly makes one sit-up and rub one's eyes in disbelief and sheer shock - Ali Peter John

But that is exactly the stuff of which Bhansaali is made and he has been proving it since the last twenty five years in such a sensitive , sensational and successful way ....

Bhansaali was looking for a challenging subject after he had made Bajrao Mastani and Padmavat when he came across a story of a Madam from the red light area told by the well-known journalist turned writer in his book "Mafia Queens Of Mumbai".

It was the story of the central character of Gangubai Kathiawadi that caught the attention of Bhansaali and he decided to make a film on the life and times of Gangubai and he found a courageous partner to finance him all the way in Dr Jayanthilal Gada ( PEN ) and the making of the film started .

If the film had to be made in keeping with the reality of the story , there would have to be huge sets erected because no unit could even dream of shooting on the actual locations of Kamathipura.

And Bhansaali who had also erected the grand sets of Devdas , Bajirao Mastani and Padmavat took a decision to build Kamathipura at the Film City , taking all the precautions to stay as close to the reality as possible.

Like it took him several months to build to he sets of Devdas , it also took him months to recreate , Kamathipura on the floors of Film City .

And it was Alia Bhatt who was his first choice to play Gangubai . There were mixed reactions to his choice of Alia , but he stood by Alia under all circumstances . And he had powerful actors like Ajay Devgn , Vijay Raaz , Indira Tiwari, Huma Quereshi and Seema Pahwa in other important roles .....

The film tells the story of a sixteen year old girl Ganga from Kathiawad in Gujarat who in chase of her dream to be a star reaches Bombay and meets a man who promises her to get her into films and marries her and sells her to a madam who owns a brothel in Kamathipura.

Ganga has to go through hell before she becomes Gangubai and is accepted as a leader of the sex workers in the area who fights for the rights of the sex workers and in the process makes friends with powerful people like politicians , police officials , social activists and also has a brush with the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru .

There were different opinions about her , some said she was a leading prostitute , others said she was a social activist and some others said she was an aspiring politician . Whatever it is , she was a prominent face on the scene of the Bombay of the 60s and 70s .

Gangubai Harjivandas had not married , but there are stories about her having several affairs and adopting many children . She is said to have died in the 70s . It is this story that Hussain Zaidi has captured in his book and one has to wait and see how Bhansaali has depicted this gut - wrenching story in his film .

"Gangubai Kathiawadi" has been in the news ever since it was announced and it was to be released several times in the past two years , but It suffered the most during the peak of the pandemic , but it will now certainly be released on February 25 both in the single screen theatres and multiplexes all over .

But it is not going to be very easy . There have been protests in different parts of Mumbai ever since the trailers of the film have been out .

Large numbers of people living in the Kamathipura area have been raising angry protests against Bhansaali and Alia Bhat for giving a bad name to Kamathipura where they say there are now engineers, doctors , lawyers and writers living with their families and outsiders are now looking at them as outcasts ever since the trailers have been out .

The protesters have asked for a total ban on the film . Interestingly, there are sons and families who are claiming to be related to the original Gangubai and have filed different suits in small and big courts , including the Supreme Court against the film , claiming that it is harming their reputation

The protesters say that they will continue their protests till they get justice and the government and the police are facing a dicey situation, especially now when there is an atmosphere of the election fever in five different states in the country .

I for one and eagerly waiting to see the film , because the way I know Sanjay Leela Bhansaali , I am sure he will not make a mockery out of a very sensitive issue, especially when it involves a woman .

OH GANGA , TUNE GANGUBAI BANKAR KYA KYA KYA KAMAAL KIYE HOGE , YE HUM ZAROOR JAABNA CHAAHENGE . AUR HUME YAKEEN HAI KI BHANSAALI HUME SACH KE SIVA KUCH NAHI DHIKAANGE

And on the other hand Alia Bhatt was at the opening of the best International Berlin Film Festival where the film was screened and was basking and beaming in the international limelight.