Gangubai Kathiawadi Teaser Is An Intense Look Into The Mafia Queen's Life

The teaser for Gangubai Kathiawadi starring Alia Bhatt as Mumbai's infamous Mafia Queen released Wednesday to widespread acclaim from netizens. Bhatt, in this Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, takes the reins as the sex worker from Kamathipura in the 60s head-on.

Scheduled for a July 30 release, the film is Bhansali's tenth directorial and looks every bit as grand as his signature style promises. The film, co-produced by him with Jayantilal Gada, also stars Shantanu Maheshwari, Ajay Devgn, Vijay Raaz and Seema Pahwa.

Here are 5 ways the teaser for Gangubai Kathiawadi looks promising:

1. Bhatt essays the role of the legendary brothel madam with true conviction. There's glamour, as in her other roles, but of a different, more poignant kind as she dips her feet into the big, bad underbelly of Bombay's crime circuit.

2. Sold into prostitution at an early age by her suitor, Ramnik Lal, Gangubai marked her territory to become a notable figure in the city, relentless in her pursuit for a better life for women in the sex industry. At one point in the teaser, Bhatt as Gangubai says, "Kisi se darne ka nahi. Na police se, na MLA se, na mantri se."

3. Kathiawadi, wading through her early tribulations, became affluent enough to be the only brothel owner in the 60s to own a black Bentley, something the teaser features, as we see Bhatt rest against her car with charming magnificence - a figure of poise in the noisy bustle of Kamathipura.

Teaser for Gangubai Kathiawadi shows the mafia queen in all her glory

4. The teaser opens saying Kamathipura has never seen a moonless or dull night because that's where 'Gangu' resides. And right at the outset, even before the fierce Gangu enters stage, viewers are awed by the powerful force she personifies.

5. Though Gangubai was pushed into prostitution at a young age, the teaser has a concentrated focus on the enigma she later became after overcoming her ordeals, not once resting for self-pity. "Main Gangubai, President Kamathipura. Kumari aapne chhodaa nahi aur srimati kisi ne banaya nahi," she declares with ease as the trailer ends, defining her identity by what she made it, not by what was forced upon her.

Watch the teaser for Gangubai Kathiawadi ">here: 

Views expressed are the author's own.