Bollywood has been churning
out a staggering number of biopic movies and popularising the genre in recent
years. Every month, at least one movie based on the lives of some unknown or
known figures who lived a heroic life, gets screened at the nearest movie theatre
or on the OTT platforms.
And to be honest, there’s
nothing wrong with this trend. Some larger than life stories deserve to be told
through celluloid. But what should worry all of us (especially the filmmakers
and cinephiles) is how the emerging genre sets the monotony in filmmaking’s
grammar.
In these biopics, the treatment of the protagonists is
almost identical. The protagonists are always good people and are treated like
demigods. They do nothing wrong. They fight for themselves or others. And in
the end, they always manage to triumph over their opponents. Because of this
repetitive and predictable narrative arch, the whole movie viewing experience
becomes unappealing and lethargic.
Perhaps this is the primary reason why Sanjay Leela
Bhansali’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ fails to live up to its hype. Even if the
first half of the film tries to experiment with storytelling, the second half
still falls into the trap of the formulaic Hindi biopic.
Based on the chapter ‘The Matriarch of Kamathipura’ of S
Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges’ crime anthology, ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’, the
film chronicles the real-life journey of Gangubai (played by Alia Bhatt), a sex
worker and madam who once ruled Mumbai.
Gangubai becomes a sex worker after the man pretending to be
her lover sells her to a trafficker. But what makes her different from other
sex workers is that even when she suffers from hardships and traumas, she never
stops dreaming. When she lands in Mumbai with her trafficker, she hopes to
become a proper Hindi film heroine and rule the hearts of millions of fans.
While her dream of becoming an actor gets shattered when
she’s compelled to become a sex worker, she goes on to become the matriarch of
Kamathipura and change the lives of her fellow sex workers and rule the hearts
of people.
Through cinematographer Sudeep Chhaterjee’s breathtaking
camerawork, Bhansali, who has co-written the film, edited, and composed the
music, captures the gritty yet inspiring tale of Gangubai. In the first half,
we see how a naive and young
Bhansali shows Gangubai and her friends as dignified people
who deserve equal rights and respect in the film. The film also explores their
dreams, aspirations, interests, camaraderie, sisterhood, and love, which feels
like a breath of fresh air, as Hindi movies rarely portray sex workers in such
a way.
A large chunk of the film deals with Gangubai’s political
journey. After becoming the madam of the brothel she was once sold to, Gangubai
looks after all her friends, sex workers in her locality, and makes sure that
all of them are paid for their labour. To make a more meaningful impact on the
lives of her locality’s people, Gangubai announces her candidacy for the post
of the President of Kamathipura and defeats her opponent, Raziabai, a trans
madam (played by cisgender actor Vijay Raaz). Similarly, Gangubai is often
shown meeting people in power to help sex workers get their rights.
“Sex work is probably human civilisation’s oldest profession. If you want to stop us from working, then destroy the civilisation first,” says Gangubai at a public event in the film.
As Hindi cinema has always limited the depiction of sex workers within the boundaries of their work or shown them as dancers trying to lure men, for a mainstream Hindi film like ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ to focus on the subject of sex workers and their fight for dignity and equal rights is a big step forward. But sadly, the film’s weak and mediocre writing makes it less impactful than it would have otherwise been.
Because of its weak narrative building, the film eventually
loses momentum. The movie, especially during the second half, places a lot of
emphasis on showing Gangubai’s journey, rather than making Bhatt’s character
relive the journey. Unlike in the first half, the second half is devoid of
emotions. In every scene we see after the interval, Gangubai is always shown
fighting the system, police, and society.
However, the many conflicts she faces aren’t the issue
because conflicts are the backbones of storytelling. In every film,
protagonists are bound to face obstacles in their life and it is their journey
of overcoming those obstacles which makes the film what it is.
But the main problem in the film is how easily the conflicts
get resolved without Gangubai having to make any efforts. For instance, within
one scene, Rahim Lala (played by Ajay Devgan) transforms from being vehemently
against working with Gangubai to making her a business partner in his liquor
business.
Similarly, in another prominent scene, when Gangubai visits
a local school to admit the children of sex workers, the school principal, who
had earlier refused to let the children get admission, readily agrees to admit
the students. Although such scenes help us realise how Gangubai has become this
powerful woman who can make people do what she wants, the ease with which
conflicts in the film get resolved is a bit unrealistic.
Thus, the sudden change in the narrative style from a
realist drama in the first half to a full-fledged Hindi biopic (with
whistle-worthy melodramatic dialogues, repetitive slow pace walks of Gangubai,
and the filmmaker’s obsession with making Gangubai a hero in every scene) in
the second half diminishes the film’s overall impact.
Yet, regardless of the convoluted script, there are two
major reasons why the movie manages to keep the audience glued to the screen.
Firstly, it’s because of the brilliant acting performance by
the cast.
Bhatt, who carries the film on her shoulders, shines like a
bright moon, radiating both the grace and strength her character requires.
Apart from Bhatt, Indira Tiwari as Kamli, Gangubai’s best
friend; Seema Pahwa as Sheela Masi, the madam before Gangubai took over the
brothel; and Shantanu Maheswori as Afsaan, Gangubai’s lover; also manage to
impress with their performance. While the film has done a good job in
ensembling an enviable cast, it also fails in this very department by casting a
cisgender male actor (Vijay Raaz) to play the character of Razia bai, a trans
woman. The failure from the makers’ side to understand why it was essential to
cast a trans actor for trans roles requires more critical introspection.
Another thing going for the film is its visuals. Chatterjee,
who often collaborates with Bhansali, creates an entirely immersive world of
Gangubai through his camera works. From the single-one take shots to the camera
movements and blocking, Chatterjee meticulously designs every shot in the film.
Had Bhansali spent ample time developing a solid script,
this film would have been a classic. Perhaps, ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ will make
him realise that great acting and stunning visuals– which we can find plenty of
in his creations–can’t always make up for a mediocre script.
Gangubai Kathiawadi box office collection Day 10: Alia Bhatt film sits at Rs 92 crore after Sunday jump
After receiving overwhelming reviews from
critics and fans, Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi seems to be setting the box
office on fire. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film is racing towards
Rs 100 crore in
GANGUBAI KATHIAWADI
SEES A BIG JUMP ON SUNDAY
Within a few days of its release, Gangubai Kathiawadi
crossed Rs 100 crore at the box office worldwide. The film is
currently in its second week and shows no signs of slowing down despite
competition from Amitabh Bachchan's Jhund and The Batman.
According to
trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Gangubai Kathiawadi collected Rs 10.08 crore on
March 7, thereby taking the total collection to Rs 92.22 crore in
He wrote,
"#GangubaiKathiawadi remains the first choice of moviegoers on [second]
Sun - also hits double digits - despite a strong opponent [#TheBatman] Inches
closer to Rs 100 crore [Week 2] Fri 5.01 cr, Sat 8.20 cr, Sun 10.08 cr. Total:
? 92.22 cr. #
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