Gangubai Kathiawadi, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, defied all expectations when it was released and has since grown to become one of the most cherished movies of 2022. Now with this Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s directorial almost completing a year of its big release, it is still getting accolades from not just audiences, but all well-esteemed people around the globe.
This time around, the head curator of British Film Institute National Archive, Robin Baker took to social media and praised Gangubai Kathiawadi as he also requested BAFTA and Academy awards to watch it. He wrote “If I was a member of BAFTA or the Academy (I’m not), this year I would be voting for Alia Bhatt as Best Actress for her performance in GANGUBAI KATHIAWADI (Sanjay Leela Bhansali, India, 2022). She plays a prostitute turned underworld brothel madam turned campaigner for sex workers’ rights, and the joy of her performance is how she grows as her character develops.
The film is big, brash, sentimental and hugely enjoyable, but Bhatt is sensational. There’s the additional pleasure of the film’s classic Hindi cinema references – from Gangubai’s love of Dev Anand to scenes of cinema-going in the 50s and 60s to the numerous film posters lining the streets around Bombay’s red light district.
