gangubai kathiawadi: At Malaysian fashion show, ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ walks the ramp & wins hearts

It’s no secret that Alia Bhatt enjoys a huge fan following in South East Asia. Her character Gangubai from the biopic ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ has become somewhat of a pop-culture icon in several countries in SE Asia. People there have fallen in love with her portrayal of the fiery and gutsy bordello madam with a coarse tongue and a heart of gold.

Recently a fashion show in Malaysia paid a tribute to the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. Models from Malaysia’s Northern Haute Couture Fashion Show 2022, recreated Gangubai’s iconic bespectacled, sari-clad look. They donned white saris, tied their hair in a bun, added red roses as an accessory, and completed the look with a pair of retro sunglasses. The look was completed with black bindis and crimson lips. Several photos from the ramp walk have now gone viral on social media.

Miss Star Malaysia 2023, shared the pictures on her social media handle and captioned the post with the iconic one-liner from the movie,
“
Izzat se jeena ka, kisi se darne ka nahi,” (Hold your head high don’t be scared of anybody) in her caption. Reacting to the post, a fan wrote, “Gangubai vibes!!” “OMG spot on,” added another one. Someone also wrote, “Just like beautiful fierce Gangubai.”

The movie was based on one of the chapters from Hussain Zaidi’s seminal work ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’. It chronicled the life and times of Gangubai Harjeevandas, a brothel madame turned social activist who ruled the seedy ‘gullies’ (lanes) of Mumbai with an iron hand. The film was released in 2022 and went on to be a commercial and critical success. The movie also reaffirmed Bhatt’s position as a bankable star and an actress with proven acting chops. She went on to feature in ‘The Guardian’s ‘Best Performances of all times’ list for her rendition of the steely and foul-mouthed prostitute.

‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, ‘Udta Punjab’ & ‘Raazi’: How Alia Bhatt Transformed Into The New-Age…

Superstar In The Making

Alia Bhatt, a youth icon and a businesswoman, began her Bollywood journey with ‘Student of the Year’ (2012), directed by Karan Johar, when she was just 19.

In nearly decade-long career, the ‘Student Of The Year’ star has mesmerised the audience with her remarkable performance in movies like ‘Raazi’, ‘Highway’, ‘Udta Punjab’, ‘Dear Zindagi’, amongst others.

As she turns 29, here are the movies that show Bhatt’s cinematic excellence:

‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose 2022-magnum opus became the fourth film to enter the elite Rs 100 crore-club in the pandemic, is all praises for Bhatt.

Lauding her performance, the film-maker said that Bhatt was in the same league as Nargis in ‘Mother India’, Seema Biswas in ‘Bandit Queen’ and Meenakumari in ‘Sahib Biwi Aur Gulam’.

Terming Bhatt as a cinematically-intelligent girl, he said that the actress knows how to structure a scene or a shot. “You did something which no actor has done before you,” he added.

‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ is based on a chapter from writer S Hussain Zaidi’s book ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’. Bhatt essays the role of Gangubai, one of the most powerful, loved and respected madams from the brothels in Mumbai’s Kamathipura area during the 1960s.

‘Raazi’

Director Meghna Gulzar was bowled over by Bhatt’s portrayal of Sehmat Kaur in ‘Raazi’ (2018). It was after this movie, the film-maker said that the actress had raised the bar for herself in cinema.

Gulzar even said that Bhatt was a quick learner as she learnt a different dialect by watching only half of one film. The movie collected over Rs 200 crore, worldwide.

It was based on author Harinder Sikka’s book ‘Calling Sehmat’.

‘Highway’

Bhatt’s performance in the 2014 Imtiaz Ali-directorial was appreciated by her fans and critics.

It turns out, Karan Johar had to vouch for the actress to Ali. During the International Film Festival of India, the ‘SOTY’ director said that he had to convince Ali to cast Bhatt as the lead.

After her brilliant performance in the movie, Bhatt scaled new heights in her career.

The movie is about a young girl, who is dealing with a number of her personal struggles, develops Stockholm syndrome with her kidnapper. Despite mixed reviews, it closed at nearly Rs 50 crore.

‘Udta Punjab’

Bhatt was a pleasant surprise for director Abhishek Chaubey. He had shared that he was sceptical about casting the actress in the 2016 movie, but decided to give her a shot after actor Shahid Kapoor’s recommendation.

After being caught in a bitter censorship battle, the movie was a little behind the Rs 100 crore-mark.

The actress played the role of a Bihari migrant, who fights her abusers and her drug addiction and turns out to be a survivor.