Who was Gangubai Kathiawadi? Know all about the controversy surrounding the film

People claiming to be family members of the primary protagonist, Gangubai Kathiawadi, have objected to her representation in the film, which has landed Alia Bhatt in legal trouble.

Let’s look at the life of Gangubai Kathiawadi and the reasons for her family’s opposition to her representation in the film.

Who is Gangubai Kathiawadi ?

Ganga Harjeevandas Kathiawadi was a Gujarati woman who rose to prominence as one of Mumbai’s most well-known and powerful brothel operators in the 1950s and 1960s. Her spouse is believed to have sold her to a brothel proprietor in Kamathipura. One of Mumbai’s oldest and most known red light areas is Kamathipura. She eventually opened her own brothel and is credited with advocating for the rights of commercial sex workers.

What is the claim to fame of Gangubai Kathiawadi?

There aren’t many accounts of Gangubai’s life during the time he lived. The Alia Bhatt film is based on the book “Mafia Queens of Mumbai,” which explores several aspects of her life. Gangubai is claimed to have advocated for the rights of commercial sex workers and is said to have contacted legislators on the subject. However, there is no modern evidence to support these statements.

Gangubai reportedly died in her mid-seventies and had no children of her own. Several people, on the other hand, claim to have been adopted by her.

Several of them have protested her portrayal in the film since it was announced, and have requested a stay of execution. Based on a complaint submitted by a man claiming to be Gangubai’s adopted son, a Mumbai court issued summon to filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actress Alia Bhatt in March. The petitioner stated that the trailer for the film, which is “named after his mother and a chapter in a book on her from which it is adapted,” depicts her as a “prostitute” and a “mafia queen,” according to the petitioner. It alleges that since the trailer was released, the women in his family who live in Kamathipura’s redlight zones have been subjected to inappropriate and rude comments by strangers.

Watch the film trailer here