I have always wondered why filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali faces a tough time with his films off-late. For the past few years, I have been seen objections being raised at his stories or subjects. And while I was happy that there was no such case for his next with Alia Bhatt titled Gangubai Kathiawadi, this film also landed in legal trouble. Yes, those who don’t know there have been criminal defamation charges on the film by Gangubai’s adopted son.
As per the latest reports in Times Of India, the Bombay High Court has put an interim stay on all legal proceedings against Alia and SLB. The next hearing has been fixed for the 7th of September. For those unaware of the case, let me tell you, in March this year, Babuji Shah who claims to be Gangubai Kathiawadi‘s adopted son, filed a defamation case against the film. According to his claim, the film which is inspired by Hussain Zaidi‘s novel ‘The Mafia Queens Of Mumbai’ had some sections that defamed and tarnished Gangubai’s image.
Infringement of the Right to Privacy is another claim pressed by Babuji Shah. Following which he was demanding a stay on the film’s release and also a restraining order against the writers of the novel. However, Shah’s plea was rejected after SLB’s lawyer argued that they were not even aware of his existence. While the HC’s decision is in favour of Alia and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, we will all have to wait and watch how things progress. But I seriously hope they do get better and Alia’s film releases soon.
Gangubai Kathiawadi has been facing challenges with its release. It was first scheduled to be in theatres in 2020, but due to the pandemic, the film’s release got pushed to 2021. But ever since, I have seen the film’s trailer, I cannot wait to see Alia Bhatt in Gangubai’s shoes on the big screen, aren’t you looking forward to watching this film in theatres? Well, let us all hope for the best!