Gangubai Kathiawadi is giving Alia Bhatt a cultural shock

06 January,2020 08:15 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  mid-day online correspondent

Gangubai Kathiawadi is turning out to be quite a learning experience for Alia Bhatt.

Alia Bhatt


Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Alia Bhatt were all set to collaborate for Inshallah, also starring Salman Khan, which was all set to release on EID 2020. However, due to some unknown reasons, the film was shelved and Bhansali decided to make another film with the actress. All the speculations have been put to rest as the duo are collaborating for a film called Gangubai Kathiawadi.

The film, based on Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens of Mumbai will be high on drama and intensity and will narrate the tale of the eponymous character's journey from the streets of Mumbai to the city's most dreaded woman. It will highlight how and when she became the most fierce and ferocious sex worker of Mumbai's red-light area, Kamathipura.

The storyline has made Alia's job tougher. Reportedly, the actress has to learn cuss words for the film. A source speaking to Bollywood Hungama said, "It is quite a culture shock for Alia to hear the way her character speaks. The cuss words are like a swearing-in ceremony into a world Alia never thought she would enter."

"She often has to ask the meaning of certain words that her character has to spew angrily. And the unit goes into amused convulsions trying to explain what the profanity means," the source added.

Earlier, we had reported that the Highway star was required to learn Kathiawadi, a language she has no idea about. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali had even reached out to some of Mumbai's famous Gujarati theatre personalities. Speaking to mid-day about it earlier, a source had said, "Alia's paternal grandfather Nanabhai Bhatt was a Gujarati Brahmin who hailed from Kathiawad. But Alia is not familiar with the dialect as it is rarely used outside of the pocket in Gujarat. Since the filmmaker is meticulous in his prep, he wants a tutor who is fluent in the dialect. Bhansali has reached out to some of Mumbai's famous Gujarati theatre personalities, including actors Manoj Joshi and Supriya Pathak, to help him in his search. The film will be shot simultaneously as she undertakes the month-long diction class."

Looks like we are going to see a complete transformation of Alia.

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