There seems to be no end to the controversies around Alia Bhatt starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi. While the movie is all set to release tomorrow i.e on February 25, Bharti Sonawane, the granddaughter of Gangubai, is making all possible attempts to stop the film’s release. In a recent interview, Gangubai’s granddaughter has alleged that no consent was taken before making the movie. She also reiterated that the film portrays her grandmother wrongly as a prostitute.
“No consent was taken before making this film. And whatever image of Gangubai the makers have portrayed is completely wrong. Our lawyer is working towards stopping the film from being released. We are being denied justice and opportunity since 2020,” Gangubai’s granddaughter, Bharti Sonawane told ETimes.
She further targeted Sanjay Leela Bhansali and accused him of defaming her grandmother. Bharti Sonawane also revealed how the family has been getting calls from relatives asking if what is being shown in the movie is true or not.
“I want to ask him to imagine any mother in the same perspective as he has used to portray my grandmother in the film Gangubai Kathiawadi. How is it justified? This is defamation and I won’t tolerate this. She was my grandmother. It wasn’t her mistake that she stayed in Kamathipura. Different types of people stay in Kamathipura. So, are all women from Kamathipura prostitutes? He has defamed our name. We are not able to show our faces to anyone. Our relatives and peers ask us, “Aisi thi kya aapki Nani?” she said.
Earlier also, Gangubai Kathiawadi’s family tagged the movie as ‘wrong, baseless and vulgar’ and claimed that the movie presents Gangubai as a prostitute rather than as a social worker. “The way Gangubai was portrayed is completely wrong and baseless. It is vulgar. You are representing a social activist as a prostitute. Which family would like it? You have made her (Gangubai) a vamp and lady don,” Gangubai’s family lawyer had said earlier as cited by Zeenews.com.
For the unversed, Gangubai Kathiawadi is produced and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In the movie, Alia will be seen playing the role of a young girl who was sold into prostitution by her suitor Ramnik Lal. The story of the movie has been adapted from a chapter of Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai. Besides Alia, the movie also features Vijay Raaz and Seema Pahwa among others. Ajay Devgn will also be making a cameo in the film.
