Gangubai Kathiyawadi(2022) A Story of Feminist Activism

WOCİCO 2023 II World Cinema International Conference , Madrid, İspanya, 28 - 29 Eylül 2023, cilt.1, sa.1, ss.7-8

Gangubai Kathiyawadi (2022)

A Story of Feminist Activism

Simber Atay

Dokuz Eylül University Fine Arts

Faculty (Turkey)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s biographical movie Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022) is a brilliant

example of Contemporary Indian Cinema. This movie is a partial adaptation of a book

titled Mafia Queens of Mumbai written by Hussain Zaidi based on the original research of

Jane Borges.

Therefore, briefly, the story of Gangubai Kathiawadi is as follows: She was sold to a

brothel by her husband in Mumbai, where she came to dream of being a movie star at a

very young age. However, by the time, she became the madam of the same brothel. She

was an extraordinary personality and she was also one of the most active figures of the

Mumbai mafia during the Fifties. On the other hand, Gangubai Kathiawadi was a strong

feminist and an activist who struggled for the social and legal status and rights of

prostitutes - relatively the most oppressed segment of society- whom she described as

sex workers.

The protagonist of this film is Alia Bhatt. She usually portrays audacious, independent,

and energetic heroines in her films. Here she displays a similarly powerful but at the same

time very elegant performance. Besides, Gangubai Kathiawadi / Alia Bhatt always wears

white. White color is the definition of her personality.

This movie will be analyzed by focusing on the personality of Gangubai Kathiawadi and

using the following components: qualia concept according to Merleau-Ponty and, the

Dionysian figure of Nietzsche.