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"Gangubai Kathiawadi" an Indian drama film from 2022.
Gangu was presented in the movie as she is ‘Adept at changing colors, like a chameleon! with one look she touches your heart. She scorns love but in a lovely way.’
People say, ‘Nights in Kamathipura are always moonlit because Gangu lives there. Gangu was, is, and will always be shining like the moon'.
A beautiful 16-year-old girl, born and raised in a middle-class traditional Indian family from Kathiawadi. Who likes to watch cinemas, and dream to be a film star one day. Her fraud boyfriend convinces her to leave her house and go with him, telling her that he had already mange a meeting with a movie director. He showed her false hope and sell her in a brothel for 1000 Indian rupees.
Gangu was then, tortured and forced to be a sex worker in a brothel situated in Kamathipura. Sooner Gangu realizes that there is no way back, she tries to adapt to this new traumatic life. Where slowly she started to become famous for making effort and supporting her co-workers.
The movie started with this plot. The climax began when, the brothel owner ‘sheelabai’ realized that Gangu became a most wanted prostitute, and she have a leadership instinct for her co-workers. One day from a rude, arrogant customer Gangu was tortured brutally as if someone planned it for Gangu, to give her a warning. At this moment Gangu wanted to take revenge and wanted to show that even as a prostitute she has the right to live with honor. She asked for help from Rahim Lala, who is the local mafia king. Rahim Lala, even though he is a gangster, but he tried to help people for their rights, and he then actually avenged Gangu.
That's how Gangu got more support and become famous in the community by making a connection with Rahim Lala. Once ‘Sheelabai’ died and Gangu became the madame of that brothel. As a young leader, Gangu has both beauty and smartness. She falls in love with a tailor, who often came to Gangu’s place for delivering the ordered dresses. Wearing the significant white ‘Sari’ Gangu flourished, by making movements for the rights of the 4000 sex workers in that locality in both love and prosperity. She wanted to be the rightful president of that community where she had an opponent, ‘Raziabai’ a well-known madame. But finally, with some dramatic strategies and support from Rahim Lala, Gangu wins the election and become the new president of the Kamathipura.
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The story showed through the consequences that the sex workers were always belittled, disrespectful, and hated by the society where people from the society created them for their pleasure and entertainment. This movie was an awareness or an inspiration for the sex-worker to have their social right in society. Children from the brothel can have educational rights, the sex workers can have at least one day off, and they can have all the facilities as citizens or part of the society. According to the movie’s dialogue, where Gangu urged for her rights, she said “Give me my money, My rightfully earned money. Right now.” She describes in her speech that, if other professions can be seen as occupations why not prostitution. She fought for the rights of prostitution, and in the end, visited the President of the country and ask for the legalization the prostitution as a profession.
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“People like Gangu will not be mentioned in History. But these lanes (Kamathipura) have a way of remembering history. And these lanes tell us, that as long as Gangubai lived, not a single woman in Kamathipura went homeless. White sari, a golden tooth, and a woman with a golden heart ‘Gangubai Jajeevandas Kathiawadi’. The women who tried to legalize prostitution. Who gave women dignity in an undignified place, and taught them to breathe freely in stifling cages. The color of Gratitude and celebration was white that day, The white of Gangu. LONG LIVE GANGUBAI.”
This movie was made based on the book ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’ by S. Hussain Zaidi & Jane Borges. The movie is loosely based on the true story of Gangubai Harjeevandas, popularly known as ‘Gangubai Kothewali’, from the chapter ‘The Matriarch of Kamathipura’ of the book. And the movie was produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Pen India Ltd. Was Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali himself. According to critics and viewers, the movie was a unique creation of Bhansali, where Alia Bhat’s acting gives it the finest composition. The screenplay, direction, and dialogues of the movie were amazing. The lyrics and the composition of music were interrelated with the timeline of the story and the scenario.
On its first day in theaters, Gangubai Kathiawadi grossed Rs. 10.50 crore in India. The film grossed Rs. 13.32 crore on its second day. The film grossed $15.30 crore on its third day, bringing its domestic weekend total to $39.12 crores. The film had grossed 153.69 crores in India and 43.17 crores internationally as of 14 April 2022, for a total global gross of 196.86 crores. ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ got critics rating mostly 4/5 while IMDB rating is 7/10. I liked and enjoyed the movie, especially the songs, dialogue, and of course the story.
Hope you will watch the movie and enjoy it. Happy watch.
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