Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi to now release a day after Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s birthday

The much awaited Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was finally going to arrive in cinemas on February 18, 2022. Sadly, due to the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, all the films scheduled to release in January were indefinitely postponed. Expecting a domino effect, the trade and industry feared that Gangubai Kathiawadi’s release might be deferred by a few weeks or even months. However, today, the makers of the film pleasantly surprised everyone by announcing that the film would release in February itself, but on February 25. Coincidentally, now, the film would arrive on the big screen a day after Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 59th birthday.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali was born on February 24, 1963. Gangubai Kathiawadi is his tenth film and also the second film after Black (2005) to release in his birthday month. Black, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji, was not a huge commercial success but received immense critical acclaim, including three National Awards. It now remains to be seen if Gangubai Kathiawadi also turns out to be not just a critical hit but also a huge commercial hit for the acclaimed filmmaker.

In 2015, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had revealed that he doesn’t believe in celebrating birthdays. To quote SLB, “As children, my sister and I had no birthday parties. We would take a packet of sweets to school and distribute it to our classmates. That was it. We never had birthday parties. Nor were we allowed to go to parties. Now, it has become a habit to be on my own on my birthday. And I am very happy that way.”

Nevertheless, last year, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had an intimate gathering on his birthday. The picture of him posing with Alia Bhatt, who looked splendid in a white dress, had gone viral. In 2013, in a rare instance, he cut a cake on his birthday along with the star cast of his TV show, ‘Saraswatichandra’. In 2018, there were reports that the success bash of his blockbuster film, Padmaavat, and his birthday would be celebrated in the ocean in a liner. However, reportedly, the party didn’t happen as Bhansali declined the invitation, citing seasickness.

It now remains to be seen how Sanjay Leela Bhansali shall celebrate his birthday this year. An industry insider said, “It’ll be a busy birthday for sure as it’s held a day before the grand release of his big film. He’ll be making sure the release is happening as per schedule. If a press show of Gangubai Kathiawadi is held on February 24, he’ll also be checking with his team how the media has reacted to his labour of love. Hopefully, once Gangubai Kathiawadi opens well and gets good word of mouth, he can blow the candles on the cake and pop the champagne.”

Gangubai Kathiawadi is adapted from a chapter of S Hussain Zaidi's book, 'Mafia Queens Of Mumbai', and is about a woman who rises to become a powerful underworld figure in Mumbai. Before its worldwide theatrical release on February 25, it’ll have a grand world premiere at the prestigious 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, which will be held between February 10 to February 20, 2022.

Also Read: Alia Bhatt and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi to release on February 25, 2022

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