Gangubai Kathiawadi trailer released, family in distress

After seeing the trailer for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi, the country has been waiting for February 25 to see Alia Bhatt's fierce avatar in the film. Gangubai's family, including her alleged adopted son Babu Raoji Shah and granddaughter Bharti, are not pleased with Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn's film.

For the uninitiated, Babu Raoji Shah, Gangubai's alleged adoptive son, filed a petition in 2021 against the film Gangubai Kathiawadi. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the filmmaker, and actress Alia Bhatt were both called in the case by Mumbai HC. The Bombay High Court later refused to suspend the release of Gangubai Kathiawadi and granted an interim stay on criminal defamation charges against the film's directors. However, the case is still in the process. Babu Raoji Shah, in an interview, says: "My mother has been turned into a prostitute. People are now saying inexplicable things about my mother."

The entire family has been in shock since the trailer was released, according to Gangubai's family lawyer, Narendra. "The way Gangubai was portrayed is completely wrong and baseless. It is vulgar. You are representing a social activist as a prostitute. Which family would like it? You have made her [Gangubai] a vamp and lady don," he further said.

Narendra also explains why Babu Raoji Shah's lawsuit is still waiting. He further claimed, "The issue with our [legal] system here is that instead of doing something about the gross misrepresentation, you are asked to produce proof that the son is indeed Gangubai's son. Although we have proved it in court, there is no hearing in this matter now."

The lawyer further concluded, "Our fight started in 2020 when his son [Babu Raoji Shah] came to know that a film was being made on the life of Gangubai after seeing the picture of his mother in the promo of the film. Since then, the family has been in hiding. They are shifting homes, moving to Andheri or Borivali. Many relatives have raised questions over the portrayal, asking the family if Gangubai was really a prostitute and not a social worker as they had said. The family's mental state is not good. No one is able to live in peace."

He added, "We have sent notices to Sanjay Leela Bhansali (director) and Hussain Zaidi (writer of Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of Women from the Ganglands, from where Gangubai Kathiawadi was adapted). However, there has been no response from them."

On the other hand, Gangubai's granddaughter Bharti says, "The makers have defamed my family out of greed for money. It cannot be accepted. You did not ask for the family's consent before going ahead with the project. You did not come to us while writing the book, nor did you seek our permission before making the film."

"My grandmother used to live in Kamathipura. So, did every woman living there become a prostitute? My grandmother had adopted four children there - two daughters, Shakuntala Ranjit Kawi (Bharti's mother) and Sushila Reddy, and two sons, Babu Raoji Shah and Rajinikanth Raoji Shah. We are from this family but now we've been termed 'illegal'. When our grandmother went through with the adoption, such strict adoption laws were not in place." Bharti also said.

"We used to proudly narrate the stories of our grandmother. But, after the trailer was released, people have been calling to tell us how she is being portrayed as a prostitute. My grandmother has worked for the upliftment of the sex workers there throughout her life. What have these people turned my grandmother into," On a final note, Bharti remarked.