Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s recently released drama starring Alia Bhatt in the lead role has crossed the Rs100 crore (Rs1 billion, Dh48 million) mark at the Indian box office.
The film, which was released on February 25, secured the third-biggest opening as well the biggest non-holiday opening for a Bollywood film since the start of the pandemic.
To celebrate the occasion, Bhatt shared a picture of herself enjoying a vegan burger and thanked audiences for their support.
She wrote on Instagram: “Happy century to Gangubai and happy vegan burger + fry to Alia. Thank you for all the love.”
Indian movie critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh on Wednesday shared the figures and said that the movie has proved to be the fourth Hindi film to achieve the 100 crore mark post-pandemic.
He tweeted, “And #GangubaiKathiawadi hits century today [Wed], the fourth #Hindi film to achieve this number [100 cr], post pandemic [#Sooryavanshi, #PushpaHindi, #83TheFilm]... [Week 2] Fri 5.01 cr, Sat 8.20 cr, Sun 10.08 cr, Mon 3.41 cr, Tue 4.01 cr. Total: Rs. 99.64 cr. #India biz.”
‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ is loosely based on the real-life story of Gangubai Harjivandas, whose life was documented in the book ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’ by S Hussain Zaidi. The film revolves around a woman who is sold into prostitution by a suitor and how she becomes a prominent figure in the underworld and the red-light district. It also starred superstar Ajay Devgn in a pivotal role.
In an earlier interview with Gulf News, Bhatt opened up about filming for the role.
“First I heard the narration and to get some more perspective I read the book and I also met with the author because we don’t so much information about Gangubai and we have taken creative liberties. But I knew that she [Gangubai Kathiawadi] has to be inspiring … She had to be inspiring and real and so we had a lot of fun just creating the character,” said Bhatt. “When I was playing the part, I was very cut away from my real life in general and that helped us build a certain mystery around her.”
