GANGUBAI KATHIAWADI
Cert ★★★
15
In cinemas now
Politics, gang violence and choreography come together in this engaging Bollywood drama, based on the true-crime book Mafia Queens Of Mumbai.
It tells the story of Gangubai Kathiawadi who, in the 1960s, is sold into prostitution by her con-man boyfriend. Refusing to see herself as a victim, “Gangu” (Alia Bhatt) uses cunning and determination to rise up the ranks of the Bombay underworld. After forging a partnership with a local mobster, she takes over her brothel, wins a local election and becomes a campaigner for sex workers’ rights.
Not all of this slightly schmaltzy account rings true, but Bhatt puts in a charismatic turn and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali stages the drama and musical routines with verve.