Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s much talked about upcoming film ’Gangubai Kathiawadi’ has had its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival 2022 and the reviews have started to pour in. If you have been having doubts about the Alia Bhatt starrer film set to release in theatres on 25th February, then these reviews will surely chase them away.
Renowned publication The Guardian has given four out of five stars to ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and says that “There is terrific verve and audacity in this picture and some spectacular fantasy-musical setpieces.” It further adds, “There is an entertainingly brazen quality to this movie, a brashness and recklessness to go with the mawkishness: it has a storytelling killer instinct.”
Moviepilot, about ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, said, “A fine example of this is a feminist mafia musical that belongs to the best and most entertaining films of the Berlinale 2022 heard.”
Firstpost called it “worth every pandemic fatigued film lover’s salt” and described the film as “Sepia tinted and in muted ochre, olive green and pearl white (a whole lot of white), the film plays out in a gorgeously constructed make-believe world of erstwhile brothels.”
Talking about Sanjay Leela Bhansali filmmaking, Lida Bach said, “Sanjay Leela Bhansali weaves mafia crime, musical romance and human rights advocates into a dazzling screen biography that combines the larger than life drama of Bollywood cinema with clever arguments for the legitimacy and and legality of sex work.”
That’s not it, Letterbox in its review of ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ talked about what impresses the most about the film. It said, “What’s the most impressive thing about the film is how it embraces this over-extravagant sincerity to thrive as a grandiose retelling of a tale that so rarely gets this sort of big-budget retelling. Great casting assists in this.”
Bhansali is no stranger to controversies around his films but that does not take away the credit for his epic masterpieces. The case of Alia Bhatt starrer ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ is no different and it will be interesting to see the kind of reception Indian audience has to offer to the film. Going by the above reviews, specially the four star rating from The Guardian, ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ should have a decent run at the box office.