Alia Bhatt’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ to be shot in Kerala now?

This year started on a grand note for Alia Bhatt as she announced two big upcoming projects, one of which is apparently slated to release this year. We are talking about Ayan Mukerji’s directorial ‘Brahmastra’ and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’. However, both films suffered delays due to the Coronavirus lockdown.

Earlier this year, even though she began shooting for ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, everything was put on a halt when the pandemic broke out and now that the graph is at a constant high. With the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, the ‘Gully Boy’ actress has asked Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) to wait till the situation settles down.

Our sources from the production house now inform us that the film might be shot in Kerala as it is safer than Mumbai, though it will be extremely challenging to reconstruct an SLB set! This also means a double whammy for the superstar. Alia Bhatt will be shooting simultaneously for ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and also director SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ in Hyderabad.

SLB’s films are known for its splendid sets and this film is no different. There were reports that the sets have been dismantled till the next schedule. In fact, it was always being planned to start shooting post-monsoon. Our sources have also informed that the sets are kept as is and this has incurred a lot of loss, i.e around 2 crores that is being borne by the production company.

‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ is a biographical crime drama based on the life of Gangubai, the madame of Kathiapura’s brothel. TV actor Shantanu Maheshwari will be seen making his debut on the big screen and has a pivotal role to play in the film.