Simply making films with an apathetic attitude towards those whose sentiments will be insulted as become a penchant of certain film stars and directors. The latest in the list is an Alia Bhatt-starrer ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie.
The film is supposedly based on the life of a Mumbai-based brothel owner by the same name, based on the book called The Mafia Queens of Mumbai. In light of this, the lives of the children of Gangubai Kathiawadi have been thrown in turmoil. The children and their families are being harassed and insulted ever since the promo of the film came out. Evidently, neither Alia Bhatt nor Sanjay Leela Bhansali are too bothered by this fact and are just concerned with making profits.
Knowing too well how to deal with this class of people, the son of Gangubai Kathiawadi, Babuji Rawji Shah, whose life has been ruined by Bhansali’s upcoming movie, has filed a case at the Bombay Civil Court. Shah has sought an order to halt the production of the film. He has also claimed that the book, The Mafia Queens of Mumbai, is defamatory and an infringement upon his right to privacy, self-respect, and liberty. The defendants have been given time until 7th January to respond.
Narendra Dubey, Shah’s lawyer, has said that a criminal complaint may also be filed against the defendants for defamation, indecent representation of women, and circulation of obscene and indecent material.
Shah indeed has grounds for this. His lawyer Dubey said, “Ever since the promo of the film came out, rumours have spread and Shah has been harassed in his own locality. His leg was fractured from being hit. His relatives are also suffering as they are now being known as coming from a ‘prostitute family.”
On one hand, Alia Bhatt is most vocal about talking on women’s rights and feminism; unfortunately, this thinking ceases to extend to the downtrodden women whose life the actor has resorted to exploiting. When it comes to their self-respect, right to privacy and right against indecency, Alia Bhatt has no qualms in rejecting her same principles of feminism.
This isn’t the first time that a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film has been in the limelight for hurting the sentiments of the people. In 2018, people had objected to the film Padmaavat’s portrayal of allegedly distorted historical facts, over the top glorification of the antagonist, Alauddin Khilji and an absurd possibility of a dream sequence, involving Alauddin Khilji and Rani Padmavati.