Ahead of its cinematic release on February 25, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ will have to face a legal battle in the Bombay High Court. Legal troubles have loomed over the Alia-Bhatt starter after Congress MLA Amin Patel and some residents of Kamathipura have filed separate pleas in the Bombay High Court citing discontent over the portrayal of some portions in the film.
A public interest litigation has also been filed by Congress MLA Ameen Patel seeking similar reliefs.
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) February 22, 2022
The plea is likely to be heard by the Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta soon.
On Tuesday, Congress MLA from Mumbadevi, Mumbai Amin Patel filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court against the release of the film. Patel’s plea is likely to be heard by a single member bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta today. On February 17, the MLA also met Amit Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Minister for Cultural Affairs in Maharashtra to submit a memorandum regarding serious objections with respect to the trailer of the film. Amin Patel argued that the film maligns the image of the Kamathipura locality and the Kathiawadi community residing in Mumbai.
Today, I met Shri @AmitV_Deshmukh & gave a letter & memorandum from various communities regarding serious objections with respect to the release of the trailer of Gangubai Kathiawadi, co produced by @SLBfilm as it maligns the image of Kamathipura locality & Kathiawadi community. pic.twitter.com/InNNzYpkpW
— mlaaminpatel (@mlaAminPatel) February 17, 2022
A similar plea was also moved in by some residents of Kamathipura in the Bombay High Court to seek change in the use of the name “Kamathipura” used in the film. The Bench led by Justice GS Patel will be hearing the plea tomorrow, February 23. Earlier, Gangubai’s adopted family alleged that the film tarnishes Gangubai as a ‘prostitute’ while asserting that she always fought for the rights of prostitutes in her life. Notices were sent to the makers of the film and charges of defamation have also been levied against them.
Alia Bhatt starter ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ is directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and is all set to release in the cinemas on February 25. The film is an adaptation of Hussain Zaidi’s book ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’ which records the life of Gangubai Kothewali, a matriarch of a brothel in Mumbai’s Kamathipura.
