Overall okay only. The art direction was fantastic, the acting too (except for alia in older age and she gets high up too early without ageing) but editing and side storyline were bad. Also, too little Vijay Raaz
It's really a good movie but it's just that this Bhansali film will connect you if you live in West part of India (Gujarat and Maharashtra) . Not your fault 😅
Tabu or vidya would have been perfect for this role..alia has a baby face she didn't fit to the character at all..and vijay raaz is always underutilized in bollywood..
Kudos for your honest feedback! Agreed writing could be better. With such a character, movie should be gritty and casting should reflect that rather than adding big names. Like rick mentioned, That's also my problem for most bollywood movies, rather than showing a complex person they start portraying the character as a " hero " especially in big budget movies. I think now audience is ready to see complex characters
The last line in the movie is the essence of it. What it says is "She came to the city to become an actress and ended up being the entire cinema" - THIS I think was what the movie was about. All decisions are aligned to this. It's HER movie. She is the hero of the movie. She never fails, she is ahead of everyone, she is undefeatable - just like a hero in a bollywood movie. The movie is about her and she is the hero of the movie. Years after she came to the city, she did become an actress. It's SLB closing the loop. It's NOT a biography in that sense and it does not have to be factual.
The problem with Hindi films lately is that the bar is set so low that even mediocre films are being praised. Thanks for being honest. You're one of the few out there who critique with as much dignity and justification.
Gangubai kathaiwadi was a mafia queen charged with horrendous acts of murder, human trafficking etc. But as usual SLB didn't have the guts to show us a real gritty story.
You have read the book about her I think 🤔 cause I did not know the real story but movie give good message to society and I loved movie 7/10. Alia did a great job. She is not a matured kind of girl in real but she tried her best to being a matured woman.
Rick’s opening paragraph is my general opinion of most Sanjay Leela Bansali’s movie , in the sense that he is visually excellent, I generally feel the way he treats the story and character of a movie tends to be superficial. Having said this I did like his “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” and “Padmavat”. Otherwise, To me his cakes have beautiful, imaginative, creative “Frosting”, but the real cake material lacks any palatable or good taste.
Exactly, what we yearn for is the rustic and raw elements. At least for my part i can say that i can't deal with this level of unrealistic visuals. There has to be something that we can relate to as humans. Maybe not the entire concept but certain elements, nuisances of human nature, situations and challenges. I can't feel a breath of fresh air. Ashutosh Govarikar, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Ronnie Screwala are such makers who know the art of movie making. Be that the raw nature of there projects, be that the transitions, pace, anything. But for those who like these visual effects, there's not much apart from this in Bhansali's movies. Like they said they are choppy, very predictable, transitions are not good neither the pace.
To learn more about Gangubai the real historical figure, I HIGHLY recommend listening to Seema Anand’s podcast episode where she brilliantly tells the incredibly life story of this deeply interesting woman.
I agree they themselves accepted they don't know the real story of Gangubai so I also feel that they need to watch the podcast so they know that alia is the best choice for the move... I feel she was fab after watchin the movie I feel she deserved this part
I absolutely agree with this review. It was Disney-fied. Also, I was literally drawing parallels between the characters Gangubai and Ganesh Gaitonde. She and her story are complex and so bloody interesting, it's sad the intensity and depth was lost somewhere. It yearned to be gritty.
Love for the honesty. And yes average Indian audience is now ready for complex characters. Directors please take note. The bar has already risen, please increase the bar of bollywood mainstream movies too now, it's high time, the time has come.
Downtrodden & shady areas of Mumbai should not look like a Bhansali movie in the first place, add someone who looks like Alia on top of that & this was doomed from the beginning. 🤷♂
Your first point is a little wooden,it’s cinema,you’re creating a fictional world through your lens,it can look however you want it to…euphoria is set in a rundown area but the cinematography makes the place look beautiful nonetheless.
@@blahblah1939 i think people can relate better with things that are realistic, not pretentious. Like you said cinematography is what makes a place look beautiful not larger than life, unrealistic sets.
People literally did say to you beforehand that alia is miscast and that you should research gangubai so it’s not really surprising you ultimately felt like this,a lot of people could see it coming from a mile away. That being said she still did give a very good performance,it just didn’t fit at certain parts. That’s why so many people commented many actresses they thought would be better. All those stars you saw who praised this film as well were as you thought either paid or close friends of Alia…that’s the way that industry works. I actually didn’t think this film was his best but I did enjoy aspects of it way more than I thought I would and I did not at all enjoy gehraiyaan in the slightest so it’s just difference of opinion I guess because this film was far far better than that. You guys should watch badhaai do then,because it’s gotten very very good reviews and people said it did not disappoint its audience at all…and plus Rajkummar rao.
Exactly. It was really annoying when earlier they dismissed all the opinions of people as stupid/hate(like always), when said radhika was a better option they're like we shouldn't compare lol what. It's really the truth. We know Alia is a good actress and she did give her best.
@@The123abable many were trolling alia because she's a star kid . Also they decided after watching film not kangana bhakts Or people who hate her because of her dad
@@ramikaarora51 she does get unnecessary hate for being a star kid that's true, but this time lot were just being honest in saying she's misfit for the role and that time they started giving their usual bhashan
Bhansali movies have their appeal to a wide audience, both Indian and non-Indian. But like any movie, they cannot please everyone. I personally don’t like most of his movies but they always have great acting, visuals, sets, costumes, and music.
You spoke my mind. I, too, don't like his movies but do appreciate the visuals, costumes, music, etc. I never liked the storytelling part of his characters and movies as a whole. Always too grandiose and over-the-top character portrayal. More like a fairytale than realistic. Not my cup of tea.
Indian cinema has a huge problem with whitewashing characters unfortunately....having seen the film now though, it is an adaptation of a book and SLB has been pretty faithful to that text. the book only explores her younger years and rise to power. there honestly isn't much information out there on her later years or dark deeds...but this is still whitewashing...overall i liked the film though, and i liked alia's performance, but do feel she was miscast. when huma qureshi appeared on screen i immediately felt that even she would've better suited the role herself!
So Love your honesty…pls don’t change ,even if we Indians disagree…that’s what sets you apart coz we can see through , that its coming from honest space…lots of good wishes!
@@ranjanmali she's not bringing the country dude... she's mentioning Indians... there's a difference. You have to understand the context. What she's saying is a 'reviewer' shouldn't care about how we Indians feel about a indian film...coz for everything that we think of ourselves, we could very well be biased to our own stuff. They shouldn't be. If they are biased too, they're no longer reviewers.. they're salesmen.
There cannot be any person more right than Rick and Korbin at this Point of Time. Being outside of our culture they have clearly seen that Alia wasn't right for the character.
I haven’t watched the movie yet. So I definitely don’t know. But as far as I saw the trailer and some stories about “Gangubai” as a person, it was said that she started all this at the age of 16, she was very young when she had to go through all those stuff. So I automatically thought that the person playing Gangubai should be young and baby-looking. I’ve also heard this “wrong casting” reviews everywhere. So I guess you are right. I now just don’t know if I should watch it in theatres or not I mean, I love alia and Sanjay too but this just doesn’t feel right to go to the movies especially at this time and be disappointed. Idk if it’s worth it.
I think big producers will not take radhika in this kind of big projects becouse I also think radhika would have done this role very welly but unfortunately few people know Radhika Apte in india risk hota hai For this kind of big films
@@AB-te8pq The recent box office collections of the movie show that it was important to cast a popular face. Who would come and watch the move if Vidya, Tabu or Priyanka would have been cast? It is also important to bring back audience into the theatres.
Agreed with Rick that Aalia can never be imagined as a hardened woman or someone who could make anyone shit their pants with one dead stare, which is what this character demands-a fierce no-fuck-giving woman who could be seen as someone having a worst possible childhood or past. Aalia because of her "posh looking" face could never fit in that role except ofcourse when there is alot of tanning make-up is applied to show her "struggling" life (reffering to Udta Punjab). Also, I personally think Aalia hadn't researched enough or the one who has written the story, didn't research the real character properly to accurately portray a character from the underbellies of any place.
@@riyasaurastri Priyanka yes.. Kangana NO, just because of the skin complexion. Real Gangubai wasn't fair in complexion, because the movie is a biopic and not an adaption hence everything connected to real personality should be considered which also happens to be the skin complexion.
@@abdullahjan4567 well Alia is fair, so they really didn't consider that aspect sadly. It's not always about the complexion, I think they can easily tweak that a little bit, the main thing is the acting and the look. Kangana in Manikarnika was such an empowering and bold women, I think this is exactly what the movie was missing but SLB always casts the 'big actors/superstars' in his movies so... :(
That's just a ridiculous take. Someone's face is not an indication of personality or what they went through in life. You cannot tell from someone's face whether they went through something traumatic or not. The reason Gangubai scared other people is at first because she had the support of Karim Lala. This gave her a reputation, a power, which only grew as years went by and she became a madam then went into politics. Alia's performance was pretty much perfect and you just decided to judge her on her physical features.
To everyone saying Alia wasn’t a fit for the movie and Radhika Apte or some other in her place would have done justice.. I agree to disagree, because no doubt Radhika is an amazing actor, but she has done such characters umpteenth times, and bringing Alia here was unexpected, which made me more curious of how it would turn up, given Alia is a product of nepotism and how people hate her. But it was worthwhile because she did nail the Gangubai character .She clearly evolved as an actor. Her minute expressions, dialogue deliver was amazing!
The way their faces lit up talking about Vijay Raaz compared to them praising Alia and the other actors could not be faked! It shows the difference between decently good actors vs. truly gifted actors 😍🙌
Vidya balan or rani Mukherjee could have been a better choice for this character.. in any case i guess sanjay leela bhansalis films are always over the top... its his style... when he tried to make slightly grounded film like khamoshi aur guzarish... they bombed... but at the same time his melodrama is not everyones cup of tea... i dint like much talked about Devdas... found Dev-D by anurag kashtap much better and contemporary take on Devdas. But sanjay leela is actually a more sophisticated form of rohit shetty and salman khan, shahrukh khan (though he atleast tried few times) who are too reluctant to get out of their comfort zones even after all the success they have.
Korbin understood more than rick.. Alia was just showing her toughness to show to the people around her.. she seems so vulnerable with Shantanu..who she actually was
I haven't even watched the movie but the posters, trailers and few clips were enough.. Alia is lovely, a wonderful actor but for a role like this she does not have it. There is a factor, where someone like Rani gets it, Vidya Balan gets it.. in the younger lot idk who could have!
Now you know how these elitist Bollywood stars function. Thats why they have never credited Priyanka Chopra for her talent because she is an outsider and minds her own business
The first thing to keep in mind is this is a commercial entertainer and not a realistic biopic. That was clear from the trailer. The pitch of the character was OTT because of the films design, you cannot expect a DDL, that was sardar udham. In that aspect it really works well. About the casting, they needed to show the character from age 16 to late 20s so alia is a great fit.
When i watched trailer and thought who else I could see in this role, my mind instantly went to Kangana Ranaut, she would of fitted better and bring that innocence to a hardened woman etc.
Kangana is fair in complexion just like Aalia, this would again make audience distance themselves from the real Gangubai and Kangana. They would end up seeing Kangana and not Gangubai because she wasn't fair in complexion.
This movie had various issues. I agree with Korbin on the part of it being choppy. But at the very same time I agree with Rick on the casting part. This film totally belonged to an actor like Radhika or Richa. Its not about nepotism anymore but Hindi producers and casting directors need to keep the demands of the script at the pedestal. Its high time already. Alia was good...she did all that she probably could have brought to the table. But not everything is everyone's cup of tea.
thank you for being honest. That was the biggest problem. ALIA is too young for the role of this character. Priyanka was the original choice, and she def. would've been a better choice cuz she has the age/experience to show that transition. def. think this film has been overhyped. Alia is a great actress but this was def. not her role, but she tried her best.
I thought kangana is talking bullshit about Alia as choice to perform this character but after watching your review I think kangana is very well known to art
@@NoRiceToEat 😂🤣🤣😂 ur such a good comedian man thank u for beeing so at jokes kamgna is nothing but a controversial person she should have rather been in the potical industry then the entertainment one
Overall okay only. The art direction was fantastic, the acting too (except for alia in some scenes for older age and she gets high up too early without ageing) but editing and side storyline were bad. Also, too little Vijay Raaz
Completely agree with Rick's review this time. SLB always cast actors that are popular or the big names(don't have a prob with it but sometimes need to look beyond that for perfect casting). This role could've have been played by many other talented actresses. Also, felt this kinda story needed a different style of directing, very disneyfied.
yes exactly.. even with big names, he also has a talent of making it work. Aish in HDDCS, Deepika in the 3movies,.. Alia just was not the right choice. Not even once it looked realistic to me, during the trailer or her dance clips..
I disagree, I think there is a bit of indianness and being from Mumbai , I think the film was good. A strong cultural understanding is required to understand the film. It is not about toughness , it is about survival, whatever it takes. That is what Mumbai is about.
The transition from Ganga to Gangu to Gangubai that was missing. It was all of sudden imposed to accept the change. Alia did her level for few scenes did give me goosebumps. I was wondering how Gangu did not grow at all. In real I mean a decade from a teenager to a fully grown woman would definitely have changes in body. She wouldn't remain the same even after a decade. So that was kinda unbelievable.
I expected this from SLB because his protagonist women are physically beautiful, unidimensional characters who are somewhat flawless. Real Gangubai must have been a more complex and darker character because she was in a world where one has to do some bad shit to become a mafia queen. Also, the background even in the trailer looked too larger than life for a place like that. The settings should have been more grimy and gritty. Just compare this with Chandani Bar which was a masterpiece for me.
Absolutely spot on. Alia is brilliant but she should not be the first choice for every meaty role in Hindi movies. That is the exact reason why people dislike talented actors like Alia. She is shoved in their faces wherever possible because she has access to all these roles
Oh my god!! please take your justification for you and others hating on her for the umpteenth time elsewhere! Directors approaching her because she is one the best in the business is something she has earned with her talent!! And if by shove you mean shine, she will continue to do so ❤️😇
Spot on Rick. This was the issue most people in India had too. Why cast Alia in this role? She doesn't suit the character, also she's a young actress she can't bring that lived in feel an accomplished actress like Kangana or even Tapsee can bring to a role.
People already told him alia was miscast but for some stupid reason he decided to just not believe any of them and not research gangubai properly and is now realising he was wrong…
What else to expect from SLB apart from simplistic plots and paper thin characterisation. It’s basically an exercise in over-indulgent, aesthetic productions and immaculate event management.
You guys are to the point. It could have been better with some other actress than Alia. Alia doesn’t do justice to a Mafia queen. Alia looks too young and not so fit for this role
Ultimately Kangana was right ... Alia was a misfit for this movie ...also the real gangubhai kathiawadi was a dreaded woman who was involved in planning and carrying out murders ; extortions ; etc but then again this is a Bollywood movie they won't show the reality . Thanks for the honest review ... I will wait for the OTT release of this movie ...
Kudos to you for your honest unbiased reaction & review.🙌🏿 You guys are a fan of Alia & SLB. BUT BUT BUT.... Alia is still very young and this film & potrayal of the woman she is playing, she absolutely WAS a wrong casting. Alia, is a good actress, but she is not the best out there .... she is just a "Favourite" and quite pampered in that sense and is in THAT circle and orbit liasing with likes of SLB basically cz of the launch she got and a lot of favouritism & groupism. It's like her and her supporters are trying toooo hard to prove that she can do complex roles, but she is still immature in a way that some roles like this one doesn't just look and feel believable on her. Why cant she do roles her age. Like "Love you zindagi" was a good complex role she did well. Highway she did good! Udta Punjab she was the best in it. BUT they were still played around her age. Here you are putting somone on a pedestal thats still need to have had a lot of life experience and traveling to have those emotions and understanding of what Gangubai would have traveled. She was not a good cast for this one.
Who's the best? and i just want one name for the best for the role not 4,5 actress name . Best means 1 so I just want one name but in they end you will mention these 5,6 actress are better choice and who's best in the 5,6 actress name?
I took 1 look at the trailer and Alia and knew that she was a misfit. Like you said, she is a good actor, but people should be casted based on who can better perform a role. I do agree that it’s not written as well as it could have been. Padmavat and Bajirao were well casted, acted and directed. I can’t say the same for this one. Alia is great, but there are people who can be better, Sanjay does cast big names in his movies and that is getting really old really quickly. Maybe he should reconsider doing that?
@@jitaditya07 but bro this is a really stupid thing done by them. This some how did injustice to the hardwork done by the ensemble cast of gangubai ......
Alina Christ ahh that’s good I didn’t know that. I really don’t like it when good movies don’t do well and bad movies do well like sooryavanshi but I understand that is a masala movie so it isn’t supposed to have good writing
@@Noname-je8sh I haven't watched Pushpa yet.. but I have watched 83 tho..it was a good film and deserved more recognition in the box office..what was wrong in that?
10:44 This reminds me of a scene featuring a large poster of Jahazi Lootera, passing through the streets of Kamathipura. And, the brightly lit Cinema halls to highlight the contrast btw the desires those films try to sell nd the desires the people of Kamathipura h've. (Jahazi Lootera was produced by SLB's father)
I didn't enjoy too. Things didn't land where they were meant to. My expectations were humongous. Alia was not the right cast. The last film of Sanjay which I enjoyed was Devdas which was ages ago. Ever since he started composing music for his own movies, things have been bumpy. On a totality, things doesn't seem to fit together. I expect Sanjay's movies to glue me to screen(just like devdas and hum dil de chuke Sanam did). But the editing is not crisp, screenplay is sorta ok, transition between scenes are not smooth. I didn't much enjoy the music too. Background score was decent enough. Disappointed. 🤥😑
I loved the movie overall and will 110% recommend it. There were multiple brilliant scenes in the movie, and yes there were so many i dont want to count them now. Alia.....when I saw the first teaser...I personally thought this movie is going to be an utter failure..i thgt she was a complete misfit. But, I am genuinely blown away with the way she has performed the role with such finesse and originality. Her character grew on me over time. Yes, there were few issues, like the last scene which really seemed glorified and few overstreched scenes in between, but the messaging, acting (each and every actor), songs, choreography, cinematography, dialogues and the list goes on...were top notch. Give it a watch! Its really worth it! And yes, Rick/Korbin on your comment on dialogues, hindi to english dubbing will never do justice to the real depth and feel of the lines. Gravitas is lost, if representation of the words is done incorrectly, which it seems to have happened in this case. Cheers!
@@siddhantshekhar3852 Hey...yes it was beautiful, no doubt in that...but just felt could have been shortened a bit..and yes rightly said...what an happy ending!
Honest review means honest. So when people say they like it, they like it. If they don't like it, they don't. Doesn't matter, it's personal opinion with positive critics. In the end, as long as a movie is able to make the viewer happy and entertained... that's all that matter. I realized it by asking both my sister and my mom. Coz while my sister hates it, my mom likes it a lot. Me? I'm in the middle lol.
Ever since the trailer dropped, I wished they had cast Radhika Apte, Bhumi Pednekar, Huma Qureshi, Rani Mukerjee or someone new. Alia isn't cut out for roles like this.
Watched this in theatres today. We all liked it. Dholida song is stuck in my head. The non Indian friend who watched the movie with us, got teary eyed and said she felt all kinds of emotions during the film. This was her first Bollywood movie. One very important point, if you don’t know much about / anything about the real gangubai , you would enjoy it more.
Our audience gravitates more towards one dimensional character rather than comlex characters . Our mainstream movies main lead always have the heroistic traits
Thank heavens someone finally decided to actually give an honest review! I absolutely love Alia but this movie was painful. Too long...the pace was so slow. The music was average. It seemed that the director was so focused on Alia that he forgot the rest. Alia tried her best but even that couldn't salvage the movie. We are now used to great content - this over dramatic acting and dialogues of yore are thing of the past. Let them stay there. Once again - thank you for the honest review.
I don't understand why ppl say that Alia Bhatt was a misfit for this role. The movie is based at a time in gangubai 's life when she was 15 or 16 years old but then shown upto when she was 30 and only about to become big. So she was perfectly cast in terms of the age but it's possible that her source of angst may not have been fully fledged. But I believe this movie in that regard is as miscasted as Deepika Padukone was in Padmavat or Bajirao Mastani where her expressions were often so flat and inadequate for the complexity of the character portrayed. The movie is based on the telling of the story in a book and as far as I have read, the movie was an accurate re-telling of the story. Yes there may have been her involvement in contract killings and drug trade but gangubai lived until she was 68 and it is possible those aspects appeared later in her life an aspect that the movie didn't cover. I agree with the gripe that the story of the movie could have been more fledged out to depict the underbelly gangu worked for as well but that doesn't change the fact that whatever they showed in the film was stuff that she did for the benefit of those who were involved in prostitution. The Disney parade type ending though pointless in that sense, I think downplaying the acting/movie just because it was not what one expected after seeing stuff like sacred games/mirzapur/gangs is an unfair criticism, particularly when you seemed to like the mediocre acting in Padmavat. 🤷
Unfortunately “choppy” as Korbin pointed out is how I would describe most SLB movies !! They have their moments but overall they are disappointing, and I means this for Bajirao Mastani, Padmavat and whatever else he made before and after. From the trailer to the movie, I was always left disappointed
Rick. Thankyou. I agree. I just feel like when you said you didn't like this Bollywood movie you were so respectful. Explaining how alia and Sanjay are some of the finest stars, constantly reminding us that Alia is so talented and it just didn't work for this film and also explaining why you didn't like this film. clearly knowing how much hype there is for this film. But wasn't this respectful when it comes to reviews for films that aren't maybe too popular or for regional films.. I really wish Rick being this respectful towards the stars and the director continues for other movies as well. Sometimes I feel like Rick just shrugs and says he didn't like it with no concern for people's feelings instead of giving an explanation for other movies. Korbin is always the same, and i have zero complaints. And i agree with the things they said for all the movies irrespective of region. I hope Rick will explain why he didn't like a movie with this much respect and clarity for other films too.
I know there are a lot of opinions about Alia’s performance and how some other seasoned actress could have done a better job. But in my opinion the problem is not as much with Alia as a performer as it is with the writing and the direction of the film. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is more than capable of bringing out the very best in his actors but when the script itself is weak there’s just so much an actor can do for the movie. That’s the same problem I had with Deepika in Padmavaat. Some people called it the very best performance of her career but for me it was one of her weakest. Many people think Alia doesn’t suit the part but what we tend to forget is that at the end of the day Sanjay is going to look for an actress who is star enough to bring in audiences to the theater especially when the budget of the film is so massive. Could he have gone with an unknown face who fits the age group he decided to portray in the film? Sure. Would that cause as much attraction as Alia’s star power? No. Could he have chosen an actor like Vidya and through CGI and makeup make her look as young as a 16 year old? Sure. Would that still have as much of an innocence as Alia brought to the screen for the simple reason of her being a very young looking person. Of course that’s not to say age is the only factor someone else couldn’t have been cast. The film showcased a very specific part of Gangu’s life instead of its entirety so going in with that expectation is obviously gonna cause disappointment. The dialogues were so mediocre as well. But the opulence we expect from a Sanjay Leela film is certainly there because that’s just his style. So once again if you go in with expecting to see realistic, raw and gritty texture you’ll certainly be disappointed. Alia had to carry the film on her shoulders but I don’t think her performance alone made the film as weak as some people are suggesting. The biggest flaw of Gangubai Kathiawadi is the writing and the direction of the film, unfortunately. (No, I haven’t been paid for my opinion).
I think i am not watching this because i instantly knew alia is misfit for this role So slb really did a great blunder by casting her cause what he intended totally went opposite
I think alia did an absolutely amazing job.... And i genuinely think that was the best she could've done in this movie. The plot and script itself is a bit rushed and inconsistent. No matter which actor u replace alia with I don’t think they could've done better than that.
@@RiyaAdvani7 She has a very interesting unique career, always on demand doing unique films, I love how Ajay Devgan is casting her in many projects, they probably are very close friends, doing two new films with him..Love Tabu.
If you are really honest then Watch Thalaivii , Manikarnika & TWMR, Rangoon, Simran, gangster, fashion Best films Of Kangana Ranaut The most talented Actress of india right now!
I watched the movie after ott release. I liked the movie. this movie depicts one aspect of gangubai's personality. Theme was tell about gangubai working for prostitution rights. Showing too much would have messed the movie. I agree that they could have shown a complex character but this was also good, I don't think it was a mediocre movie.
This is a hugely bad review. Quite snobbish and ignorant to be honest. With all due respect, you can't totally understand the cultural and social nuances if you don't know the language and if you don't understand how Indian movies work. The subtitles don't do justice at all when translated and maybe you weren't able to imbibe it fully. The director stuck to the source matter : Mafia Queens of Mumbai as much as possible and has done a brilliant job with whatever information he had. If you compare this to other movies of SLB, you will realize that its very unlike other SLB movies. As someone mentioned in your Pinned comment: "Guess you guys missed EVERY cultural and socially relevant context to just powerful this movie was." To truly understand a movie from a certain region, you need to fully understand the language and the social context there which foreign reaction channels will never be able to do.
Arey baba Gangubai is not 50 60 years old in the movie. Alia 28 ki hai. Film mein Gangubai 16 se 30 tak hai. Kya Vidya, Tabu iss age mein 16 saal ki acting kar paayengi abhi?! Alia hi uss criteria mein fit beth ti hai aur baakhoobi ussne role nibhaya. Film dekhoge tabhi pata chalega. Hum sab aise hi tareefon ki pul nahi bandh rahe
For me, I liked this movie as well as the casting, as it made me see a woman's vulnerable side even though she acted tough, and maybe that's what SLB wanted. This is no Anurag Kashyap movie, SLB has usually not potrayed grey characters, it is either black or white - the entire story of Padmavat was made into this black and white trope, completely deviating from the source, and yet because it was 'completely black' - Ranveer's character, it might have seemed interesting. I liked this one because i felt like for a society wherein things like selling off women still happen rampantly, and where such women are never given justice, and where they are consequently ostracized from society (education, respect, etc), I didn't mind the deification for once - maybe it attempted to make people feel a certain amount of empathy for this section of society which in India is not possible with a complex character - e.g. Gehraiyan. Most Indian audiences cannot handle complex characters, especially if it comes from acteresses who have ever expressed their political opinions that was not in tune with the masses..
they did that with Kangana Ranaut too. They make them take badass female roles but end up disappointing. There are actual strong female actresses in Bollywood but they wanted to go with a young actor just because they thought that with bring in more views. Rekha, Tabu, or Madhuri Dixit would've worked better for that role
Honestly not gonna lie, you were really overhyping the shit out of it.. Yes your expectations were way too high..☹ Alia is just not made for such movies. I'd suggest just always go with no expectations. Expect the worst!!
SLB has never really told any of his films the way it happened. He has always Sanjay-fied it. In real life, Bajirao loved Kashi more, and tied the knot with Mastani to give her respect (and he did have a son with her). Obviously he can't make his movie if he told it the way it actually happened. The Padmaavat story is almost as if there is no way to tell what was real and what was part of the poem written a century later, as no proof exists of any character except Ranveer's Khilji. So in certain sense, Sanjay has always made his version of the story, and not the real true version.
u people don't even know hindi properly u don't teach writing and editing to the legend he knows everything this film is one of the best movies amongs all and Alia is born to do this Role and she gave her 100% and made this film blockbuster
I have mot seen the movie nor do I intend to see since looking at the trailer one can say its over dramatized. And somehow Alia is not fitting into the role.
I might be good in Mathematics doesn't mean I've to be good in History or if I'm good in History doesn't mean that I'll excel in English.....a good student is always a good student but to make her study every subject is actually demeaning her talent.....similarly a good actor is always a good actor ......no one denies the fact that Alia is a stalwart but to cast her in every role in the name of versatility is crazy so the very basic problem with this industry is that expecting way too much of an actor than his or hers capacity.......U guys are ryt ....Radhika would've nailed it even I guess Taapsee ,Bhumi , Kriti,Sanya would've nailed it......but why weren't they casted......does anyone knows the answer.......its simple guys.... Ofcourse NEPOTISM 😂
I didn't watch any review or ratings before watching the movie. I really liked the movie. It's definitely not perfect but not a bad one either. You should really watch it atleast once.
I am seeing majority people are praising the film and the performances. They are the odd one out. Now it depends on person to person how the film is, seeing the response the film has got, I can say it's a good film.
I went in expecting a bhansali film and thats what i got. Bhansali loves sacrifice and heroism. He loves making the hero who went through so much and sacrificed so much for others. Thats exactly what he did here. It was mafia bhansali style. And god didnt we need more of vijay.
Its funny to hear names of other actresses who could have suited the rule because That’s not how things work in india, its not the character that makes for actor casting its the other way. Its all about star system.
Rick raised a relevant question, what was so compelling about the story that it needed to be told or why was it told this way ?! SLB is too Bollywood to take socially sensitive topics head on. He will throw some paint in the background and make his actors prance around the elephant in the room, but not address it. Stupid family should watch Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah in Shyam Benegals Mandi just to see how authentic artists handle such topics! Incidentally Mandi also stars Alia Bhats mom Soni Razdan!
Not impressed with 83 or GK with your favourite actors? What are the odds? Gullyboy was your lovechild. Thank god for Siddarnth Chaturvedi and Gehraiyaan.
What did you think of the film?
Overall okay only. The art direction was fantastic, the acting too (except for alia in older age and she gets high up too early without ageing) but editing and side storyline were bad. Also, too little Vijay Raaz
Your reaction on shri khand mahadev yatra
Watch and review Bheemla Nayak
It's really a good movie but it's just that this Bhansali film will connect you if you live in West part of India (Gujarat and Maharashtra) . Not your fault 😅
Tabu or vidya would have been perfect for this role..alia has a baby face she didn't fit to the character at all..and vijay raaz is always underutilized in bollywood..
Kudos for your honest feedback! Agreed writing could be better. With such a character, movie should be gritty and casting should reflect that rather than adding big names. Like rick mentioned, That's also my problem for most bollywood movies, rather than showing a complex person they start portraying the character as a " hero " especially in big budget movies. I think now audience is ready to see complex characters
Yesssssss absolutely 💯
I agree and the audience is demanding it but the filmmakers are ignoring demands, sadly
Hmm that bad huh?! I haven’t watched it yet, but is it as bad as Saawariya? 😜
Our audience gravitates more towards one dimensional character
@@Noname-je8sh our audience gravitates more towards one dimensional character
The last line in the movie is the essence of it. What it says is "She came to the city to become an actress and ended up being the entire cinema" - THIS I think was what the movie was about. All decisions are aligned to this. It's HER movie. She is the hero of the movie. She never fails, she is ahead of everyone, she is undefeatable - just like a hero in a bollywood movie. The movie is about her and she is the hero of the movie.
Years after she came to the city, she did become an actress. It's SLB closing the loop. It's NOT a biography in that sense and it does not have to be factual.
The problem with Hindi films lately is that the bar is set so low that even mediocre films are being praised. Thanks for being honest. You're one of the few out there who critique with as much dignity and justification.
I agree Bollywood needs better scripts apart from Biography and remakes
Boycott bollywood
@@AKking27 Learn from Mollywood 😌
You've spoken my heart.
@@FarzinAhammed what country is dat?
You don’t go to a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film for realism… you go there for fantasy
But this is based on a real person not a fictional story like Devdas or Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam!
Harry Potter is also a fantasy, but you can't cast a 40 year old man to play Harry, you have to cast a teenager.
Gangubai kathaiwadi was a mafia queen charged with horrendous acts of murder, human trafficking etc.
But as usual SLB didn't have the guts to show us a real gritty story.
You have read the book about her I think 🤔 cause I did not know the real story but movie give good message to society and I loved movie 7/10. Alia did a great job. She is not a matured kind of girl in real but she tried her best to being a matured woman.
Really? The movie made her a saint?
Rick’s opening paragraph is my general opinion of most Sanjay Leela Bansali’s movie , in the sense that he is visually excellent, I generally feel the way he treats the story and character of a movie tends to be superficial. Having said this I did like his “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” and “Padmavat”. Otherwise, To me his cakes have beautiful, imaginative, creative “Frosting”, but the real cake material lacks any palatable or good taste.
I agree with the cake and frosting analogy.. there definitely does tend to be a superficial treatment to his films and characters.
Exactly, what we yearn for is the rustic and raw elements. At least for my part i can say that i can't deal with this level of unrealistic visuals. There has to be something that we can relate to as humans. Maybe not the entire concept but certain elements, nuisances of human nature, situations and challenges. I can't feel a breath of fresh air. Ashutosh Govarikar, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Ronnie Screwala are such makers who know the art of movie making. Be that the raw nature of there projects, be that the transitions, pace, anything. But for those who like these visual effects, there's not much apart from this in Bhansali's movies. Like they said they are choppy, very predictable, transitions are not good neither the pace.
To learn more about Gangubai the real historical figure, I HIGHLY recommend listening to Seema Anand’s podcast episode where she brilliantly tells the incredibly life story of this deeply interesting woman.
Where can we find it?
Found it on Spotify...really interesting podcast....thnx for recommending
I agree they themselves accepted they don't know the real story of Gangubai so I also feel that they need to watch the podcast so they know that alia is the best choice for the move... I feel she was fab after watchin the movie I feel she deserved this part
@@devarshpisolkar5510 I found it on the podcast app. Someone in the comments said they found it on Spotify.
@@vardaankapoor2064 completely agree.
I absolutely agree with this review. It was Disney-fied. Also, I was literally drawing parallels between the characters Gangubai and Ganesh Gaitonde. She and her story are complex and so bloody interesting, it's sad the intensity and depth was lost somewhere. It yearned to be gritty.
perfectly explained
SLB doesn't do gritty... He has never taken a gritty angle to anything. It's just not his style.
Love for the honesty.
And yes average Indian audience is now ready for complex characters. Directors please take note. The bar has already risen, please increase the bar of bollywood mainstream movies too now, it's high time, the time has come.
yes honesty, they also liked Bachan pandey trailer 🤣🤣
People were always ready, but they never make such movies.
This is why we like OSR … honest as f*ck !!! 👍👏
Downtrodden & shady areas of Mumbai should not look like a Bhansali movie in the first place, add someone who looks like Alia on top of that & this was doomed from the beginning. 🤷♂
yeah right? I mean he made kamathipura look so beautiful. That ain't it chief!
Your first point is a little wooden,it’s cinema,you’re creating a fictional world through your lens,it can look however you want it to…euphoria is set in a rundown area but the cinematography makes the place look beautiful nonetheless.
@@blahblah1939 i think people can relate better with things that are realistic, not pretentious. Like you said cinematography is what makes a place look beautiful not larger than life, unrealistic sets.
People literally did say to you beforehand that alia is miscast and that you should research gangubai so it’s not really surprising you ultimately felt like this,a lot of people could see it coming from a mile away. That being said she still did give a very good performance,it just didn’t fit at certain parts. That’s why so many people commented many actresses they thought would be better. All those stars you saw who praised this film as well were as you thought either paid or close friends of Alia…that’s the way that industry works. I actually didn’t think this film was his best but I did enjoy aspects of it way more than I thought I would and I did not at all enjoy gehraiyaan in the slightest so it’s just difference of opinion I guess because this film was far far better than that. You guys should watch badhaai do then,because it’s gotten very very good reviews and people said it did not disappoint its audience at all…and plus Rajkummar rao.
Exactly. It was really annoying when earlier they dismissed all the opinions of people as stupid/hate(like always), when said radhika was a better option they're like we shouldn't compare lol what. It's really the truth. We know Alia is a good actress and she did give her best.
Others critics , audience liking her . It is not about her colleagues
@@The123abable many were trolling alia because she's a star kid . Also they decided after watching film not kangana bhakts Or people who hate her because of her dad
@@ramikaarora51 she does get unnecessary hate for being a star kid that's true, but this time lot were just being honest in saying she's misfit for the role and that time they started giving their usual bhashan
@@The123abable even I think she's a misfit but after watching the movie. U should see the trolls under the teaser
Bhansali movies have their appeal to a wide audience, both Indian and non-Indian. But like any movie, they cannot please everyone. I personally don’t like most of his movies but they always have great acting, visuals, sets, costumes, and music.
You spoke my mind. I, too, don't like his movies but do appreciate the visuals, costumes, music, etc. I never liked the storytelling part of his characters and movies as a whole. Always too grandiose and over-the-top character portrayal. More like a fairytale than realistic. Not my cup of tea.
Indian cinema has a huge problem with whitewashing characters unfortunately....having seen the film now though, it is an adaptation of a book and SLB has been pretty faithful to that text. the book only explores her younger years and rise to power. there honestly isn't much information out there on her later years or dark deeds...but this is still whitewashing...overall i liked the film though, and i liked alia's performance, but do feel she was miscast. when huma qureshi appeared on screen i immediately felt that even she would've better suited the role herself!
No one would have gone to movie if Huma were in lead. That's what stardom does for you.
not Indian cinema but hind cinema
Alia is not actually young for Gangubai as gangubai was just as young (late 20s and early 30s) when she became who she was famous as.
The issue is she looks young…
So Love your honesty…pls don’t change ,even if we Indians disagree…that’s what sets you apart coz we can see through , that its coming from honest space…lots of good wishes!
Why bringing the whole country. Many in india will not like it too. U need to understand that.
@@ranjanmali she's not bringing the country dude... she's mentioning Indians... there's a difference.
You have to understand the context.
What she's saying is a 'reviewer' shouldn't care about how we Indians feel about a indian film...coz for everything that we think of ourselves, we could very well be biased to our own stuff.
They shouldn't be.
If they are biased too, they're no longer reviewers.. they're salesmen.
There cannot be any person more right than Rick and Korbin at this Point of Time. Being outside of our culture they have clearly seen that Alia wasn't right for the character.
Agreed. Even the time I saw movie's first post I thought the same.
I think she is fantastic
I haven’t watched the movie yet. So I definitely don’t know. But as far as I saw the trailer and some stories about “Gangubai” as a person, it was said that she started all this at the age of 16, she was very young when she had to go through all those stuff. So I automatically thought that the person playing Gangubai should be young and baby-looking.
I’ve also heard this “wrong casting” reviews everywhere. So I guess you are right. I now just don’t know if I should watch it in theatres or not I mean, I love alia and Sanjay too but this just doesn’t feel right to go to the movies especially at this time and be disappointed. Idk if it’s worth it.
@@Samreen_kaur_2428 no
@@jitaditya07 she is amazing bro
The PR will be at work, getting ppl to hype the film. But public will decide.
Radhika apte would have been perfect!
Radhika Apte would have killed the role of Gangubai...but sad SLB has habit of only casting big names celeb instead of talented ones
To be fair alia is talented
Omg Radhika would be perfect - first time I’m hearing an actually brilliant casting alternative as opposed to cliched suggestions like Vidya Balan…
@@angrygamer6683 She is, nobody said she isnt. She was just miscast
I think big producers will not take radhika in this kind of big projects becouse
I also think radhika would have done this role very welly but unfortunately few people know Radhika Apte in india risk hota hai
For this kind of big films
@@AB-te8pq The recent box office collections of the movie show that it was important to cast a popular face. Who would come and watch the move if Vidya, Tabu or Priyanka would have been cast? It is also important to bring back audience into the theatres.
Agreed with Rick that Aalia can never be imagined as a hardened woman or someone who could make anyone shit their pants with one dead stare, which is what this character demands-a fierce no-fuck-giving woman who could be seen as someone having a worst possible childhood or past. Aalia because of her "posh looking" face could never fit in that role except ofcourse when there is alot of tanning make-up is applied to show her "struggling" life (reffering to Udta Punjab). Also, I personally think Aalia hadn't researched enough or the one who has written the story, didn't research the real character properly to accurately portray a character from the underbellies of any place.
i think someone like priyanka or kangana can really pull off these roles
@@riyasaurastri Priyanka yes.. Kangana NO, just because of the skin complexion. Real Gangubai wasn't fair in complexion, because the movie is a biopic and not an adaption hence everything connected to real personality should be considered which also happens to be the skin complexion.
@@abdullahjan4567 well Alia is fair, so they really didn't consider that aspect sadly. It's not always about the complexion, I think they can easily tweak that a little bit, the main thing is the acting and the look. Kangana in Manikarnika was such an empowering and bold women, I think this is exactly what the movie was missing but SLB always casts the 'big actors/superstars' in his movies so... :(
Agreed.
That's just a ridiculous take. Someone's face is not an indication of personality or what they went through in life. You cannot tell from someone's face whether they went through something traumatic or not.
The reason Gangubai scared other people is at first because she had the support of Karim Lala. This gave her a reputation, a power, which only grew as years went by and she became a madam then went into politics.
Alia's performance was pretty much perfect and you just decided to judge her on her physical features.
To everyone saying Alia wasn’t a fit for the movie and Radhika Apte or some other in her place would have done justice.. I agree to disagree, because no doubt Radhika is an amazing actor, but she has done such characters umpteenth times, and bringing Alia here was unexpected, which made me more curious of how it would turn up, given Alia is a product of nepotism and how people hate her.
But it was worthwhile because she did nail the Gangubai character .She clearly evolved as an actor. Her minute expressions, dialogue deliver was amazing!
The way their faces lit up talking about Vijay Raaz compared to them praising Alia and the other actors could not be faked! It shows the difference between decently good actors vs. truly gifted actors 😍🙌
Alia is one of their favourite
I watched gangu bai recently and Vijay Raaz is very normal alia always stood out best for me in their scenes
Vidya balan or rani Mukherjee could have been a better choice for this character.. in any case i guess sanjay leela bhansalis films are always over the top... its his style... when he tried to make slightly grounded film like khamoshi aur guzarish... they bombed... but at the same time his melodrama is not everyones cup of tea... i dint like much talked about Devdas... found Dev-D by anurag kashtap much better and contemporary take on Devdas. But sanjay leela is actually a more sophisticated form of rohit shetty and salman khan, shahrukh khan (though he atleast tried few times) who are too reluctant to get out of their comfort zones even after all the success they have.
Kangana Ranaut another actress
Huma qureshi
Tabu aswell. But not for the young age. Radhika Apte wud have been perfect
Rasika Duggal or Kangna.
Korbin understood more than rick.. Alia was just showing her toughness to show to the people around her.. she seems so vulnerable with Shantanu..who she actually was
No one spoke about Shantanu. He deserves some accolades.
Whats the actual screen time Shantanu Got? If I will watch this film may be I am just gonna watch it for him ..Just a Fan girl thing
20 mins
I haven't even watched the movie but the posters, trailers and few clips were enough..
Alia is lovely, a wonderful actor but for a role like this she does not have it. There is a factor, where someone like Rani gets it, Vidya Balan gets it.. in the younger lot idk who could have!
Kangana Ranaut, even Radhika Apte with her voice too
Radhika apte, shweta tripathi , rasika dugal
@@l_various6931 with due respect to Kangana, she would not fit in a 16 years girl role where the act started but she would shine in older age.
Now you know how these elitist Bollywood stars function. Thats why they have never credited Priyanka Chopra for her talent because she is an outsider and minds her own business
Absolutely priyanka is a brilliant actress and versatile at the same time . she is the Queen
The first thing to keep in mind is this is a commercial entertainer and not a realistic biopic. That was clear from the trailer. The pitch of the character was OTT because of the films design, you cannot expect a DDL, that was sardar udham.
In that aspect it really works well. About the casting, they needed to show the character from age 16 to late 20s so alia is a great fit.
When i watched trailer and thought who else I could see in this role, my mind instantly went to Kangana Ranaut, she would of fitted better and bring that innocence to a hardened woman etc.
100% !! Maybe even priyanka
Kangana is fair in complexion just like Aalia, this would again make audience distance themselves from the real Gangubai and Kangana. They would end up seeing Kangana and not Gangubai because she wasn't fair in complexion.
Kangna wudve been a misfit too. Probably tabu...but gangubai is young this movie...so I am confused
No one is going to cast her. She is too toxic. Also just two hit movies in her career (TWMR and Queen).
This movie had various issues. I agree with Korbin on the part of it being choppy. But at the very same time I agree with Rick on the casting part. This film totally belonged to an actor like Radhika or Richa. Its not about nepotism anymore but Hindi producers and casting directors need to keep the demands of the script at the pedestal. Its high time already. Alia was good...she did all that she probably could have brought to the table. But not everything is everyone's cup of tea.
I felt the same thing immediately when the trailer came out..
I think Tabu or Vidya Balan could've done a better job
thank you for being honest. That was the biggest problem. ALIA is too young for the role of this character. Priyanka was the original choice, and she def. would've been a better choice cuz she has the age/experience to show that transition. def. think this film has been overhyped. Alia is a great actress but this was def. not her role, but she tried her best.
I thought kangana is talking bullshit about Alia as choice to perform this character but after watching your review I think kangana is very well known to art
Lol tyen maybe she should have done it 😂😂😂😂
@@zurainaalam9518
Oh kangana would have smashed it. She is that good.
Kangana totally blends in characters..she's just one of the best.
@@NoRiceToEat 😂🤣🤣😂 ur such a good comedian man thank u for beeing so at jokes kamgna is nothing but a controversial person she should have rather been in the potical industry then the entertainment one
Kangana is a foul mouthed joke. Her shrill voice would have ruined the movie.
Vidya Balan would have been the best fit for this role, at least for the older age.
The oldest age of gangubai portrayed in this movie is 29. Vidya Balan is nowhere close to that.
Kangana Ranaut would of been a fitting choice to young and older. The innocence to bringing a hardened woman too
Overall okay only. The art direction was fantastic, the acting too (except for alia in some scenes for older age and she gets high up too early without ageing) but editing and side storyline were bad. Also, too little Vijay Raaz
Completely agree with Rick's review this time.
SLB always cast actors that are popular or the big names(don't have a prob with it but sometimes need to look beyond that for perfect casting). This role could've have been played by many other talented actresses. Also, felt this kinda story needed a different style of directing, very disneyfied.
yes exactly.. even with big names, he also has a talent of making it work. Aish in HDDCS, Deepika in the 3movies,.. Alia just was not the right choice. Not even once it looked realistic to me, during the trailer or her dance clips..
I disagree, I think there is a bit of indianness and being from Mumbai , I think the film was good. A strong cultural understanding is required to understand the film. It is not about toughness , it is about survival, whatever it takes. That is what Mumbai is about.
Thanks for saying it as it is Rick. It's the first time I watched your review and completely agreed with everything you said.
The transition from Ganga to Gangu to Gangubai that was missing. It was all of sudden imposed to accept the change. Alia did her level for few scenes did give me goosebumps.
I was wondering how Gangu did not grow at all. In real I mean a decade from a teenager to a fully grown woman would definitely have changes in body. She wouldn't remain the same even after a decade. So that was kinda unbelievable.
I expected this from SLB because his protagonist women are physically beautiful, unidimensional characters who are somewhat flawless. Real Gangubai must have been a more complex and darker character because she was in a world where one has to do some bad shit to become a mafia queen. Also, the background even in the trailer looked too larger than life for a place like that. The settings should have been more grimy and gritty. Just compare this with Chandani Bar which was a masterpiece for me.
The movie was like they are selling flowers in a gun store if I may put this way 😂🤦
Absolutely spot on. Alia is brilliant but she should not be the first choice for every meaty role in Hindi movies. That is the exact reason why people dislike talented actors like Alia. She is shoved in their faces wherever possible because she has access to all these roles
Oh my god!! please take your justification for you and others hating on her for the umpteenth time elsewhere! Directors approaching her because she is one the best in the business is something she has earned with her talent!! And if by shove you mean shine, she will continue to do so ❤️😇
@@dishav5910 spare me sister 🙏
Spot on Rick. This was the issue most people in India had too. Why cast Alia in this role? She doesn't suit the character, also she's a young actress she can't bring that lived in feel an accomplished actress like Kangana or even Tapsee can bring to a role.
how about vidya balan
They should have taken Sonakshi Sinha or Huma Qureshi
@@excuseme1911 Huma is in this movie just for few minutes, in one song (mujra) n she is awesome. Even she would have been the right choice.
People already told him alia was miscast but for some stupid reason he decided to just not believe any of them and not research gangubai properly and is now realising he was wrong…
@@blahblah1939 because they love Alia Bhatt and thought we are haters and always saying nepotism product.
What else to expect from SLB apart from simplistic plots and paper thin characterisation. It’s basically an exercise in over-indulgent, aesthetic productions and immaculate event management.
You will love Bandit Queen for it’s grittiness!
You guys are to the point. It could have been better with some other actress than Alia. Alia doesn’t do justice to a Mafia queen. Alia looks too young and not so fit for this role
Others loving her performance 😐
Ultimately Kangana was right ... Alia was a misfit for this movie ...also the real gangubhai kathiawadi was a dreaded woman who was involved in planning and carrying out murders ; extortions ; etc but then again this is a Bollywood movie they won't show the reality . Thanks for the honest review ... I will wait for the OTT release of this movie ...
Kudos to you for your honest unbiased reaction & review.🙌🏿
You guys are a fan of Alia & SLB. BUT BUT BUT.... Alia is still very young and this film & potrayal of the woman she is playing, she absolutely WAS a wrong casting.
Alia, is a good actress, but she is not the best out there .... she is just a "Favourite" and quite pampered in that sense and is in THAT circle and orbit liasing with likes of SLB basically cz of the launch she got and a lot of favouritism & groupism. It's like her and her supporters are trying toooo hard to prove that she can do complex roles, but she is still immature in a way that some roles like this one doesn't just look and feel believable on her. Why cant she do roles her age. Like "Love you zindagi" was a good complex role she did well. Highway she did good! Udta Punjab she was the best in it. BUT they were still played around her age.
Here you are putting somone on a pedestal thats still need to have had a lot of life experience and traveling to have those emotions and understanding of what Gangubai would have traveled.
She was not a good cast for this one.
Who's the best? and i just want one name for the best for the role not 4,5 actress name . Best means 1 so I just want one name but in they end you will mention these 5,6 actress are better choice and who's best in the 5,6 actress name?
I took 1 look at the trailer and Alia and knew that she was a misfit. Like you said, she is a good actor, but people should be casted based on who can better perform a role. I do agree that it’s not written as well as it could have been.
Padmavat and Bajirao were well casted, acted and directed. I can’t say the same for this one.
Alia is great, but there are people who can be better, Sanjay does cast big names in his movies and that is getting really old really quickly. Maybe he should reconsider doing that?
They showed only good part of gangubai afterall she is a mafia queen and she have dark sides too.
Looks like u know about it more. Ant suggestion from we can read or watch her history?
Very honest review !!👍
I love how 'you are my Sonia' is put right next to Rick's face😂
I don't how our audience can be so dumb that they given their reviews even without watching it on imdb.
Those r paid bots... Eventually it'll go down as real reviews come in.
@@jitaditya07 but bro this is a really stupid thing done by them.
This some how did injustice to the hardwork done by the ensemble cast of gangubai ......
@@mayankkashyap3927 Same thing happened with 83 , imdb should improve their voting system
@@soorajkrishna1726 even I do thing so that imdb is losing its importance.
I agree with everything you guys say . The audience taste has dropped I don’t understand the success of 83 and Pushpa either . It’s crazy
83 wasnt successful lol. And it was much more decent compared to other films.
Alina Christ ahh that’s good I didn’t know that. I really don’t like it when good movies don’t do well and bad movies do well like sooryavanshi but I understand that is a masala movie so it isn’t supposed to have good writing
@@Noname-je8sh I haven't watched Pushpa yet.. but I have watched 83 tho..it was a good film and deserved more recognition in the box office..what was wrong in that?
10:44 This reminds me of a scene featuring a large poster of Jahazi Lootera, passing through the streets of Kamathipura. And, the brightly lit Cinema halls to highlight the contrast btw the desires those films try to sell nd the desires the people of Kamathipura h've.
(Jahazi Lootera was produced by SLB's father)
Ooohhh thanks for explaining. I noticed the movie poster and wondered why that specific movie was chosen!
SLB makes good screensavers. His movies have always been just polished turds.
Polished turds hahaha wow I'm going to steal that the next time I hear someone praising one of slb's recycled crap.. thanks 😹
Chandni Bar by Tabu is a masterpiece
I didn't enjoy too. Things didn't land where they were meant to. My expectations were humongous. Alia was not the right cast. The last film of Sanjay which I enjoyed was Devdas which was ages ago. Ever since he started composing music for his own movies, things have been bumpy. On a totality, things doesn't seem to fit together. I expect Sanjay's movies to glue me to screen(just like devdas and hum dil de chuke Sanam did). But the editing is not crisp, screenplay is sorta ok, transition between scenes are not smooth. I didn't much enjoy the music too. Background score was decent enough. Disappointed. 🤥😑
I loved the movie overall and will 110% recommend it.
There were multiple brilliant scenes in the movie, and yes there were so many i dont want to count them now.
Alia.....when I saw the first teaser...I personally thought this movie is going to be an utter failure..i thgt she was a complete misfit. But, I am genuinely blown away with the way she has performed the role with such finesse and originality. Her character grew on me over time.
Yes, there were few issues, like the last scene which really seemed glorified and few overstreched scenes in between, but the messaging, acting (each and every actor), songs, choreography, cinematography, dialogues and the list goes on...were top notch.
Give it a watch! Its really worth it!
And yes, Rick/Korbin on your comment on dialogues, hindi to english dubbing will never do justice to the real depth and feel of the lines. Gravitas is lost, if representation of the words is done incorrectly, which it seems to have happened in this case.
Cheers!
Sorry but last scene was so beautiful magical and unforgettable and first time there was Happy ending in Bhansali films which is a good thing
@@siddhantshekhar3852 Hey...yes it was beautiful, no doubt in that...but just felt could have been shortened a bit..and yes rightly said...what an happy ending!
Honest review means honest. So when people say they like it, they like it. If they don't like it, they don't. Doesn't matter, it's personal opinion with positive critics. In the end, as long as a movie is able to make the viewer happy and entertained... that's all that matter. I realized it by asking both my sister and my mom. Coz while my sister hates it, my mom likes it a lot. Me? I'm in the middle lol.
Ever since the trailer dropped, I wished they had cast Radhika Apte, Bhumi Pednekar, Huma Qureshi, Rani Mukerjee or someone new. Alia isn't cut out for roles like this.
Maybe the director was not the right person to direct this film.
Watched this in theatres today. We all liked it. Dholida song is stuck in my head. The non Indian friend who watched the movie with us, got teary eyed and said she felt all kinds of emotions during the film. This was her first Bollywood movie.
One very important point, if you don’t know much about / anything about the real gangubai , you would enjoy it more.
Our audience gravitates more towards one dimensional character rather than comlex characters . Our mainstream movies main lead always have the heroistic traits
Thank heavens someone finally decided to actually give an honest review! I absolutely love Alia but this movie was painful. Too long...the pace was so slow. The music was average. It seemed that the director was so focused on Alia that he forgot the rest. Alia tried her best but even that couldn't salvage the movie. We are now used to great content - this over dramatic acting and dialogues of yore are thing of the past. Let them stay there. Once again - thank you for the honest review.
I don't understand why ppl say that Alia Bhatt was a misfit for this role. The movie is based at a time in gangubai 's life when she was 15 or 16 years old but then shown upto when she was 30 and only about to become big. So she was perfectly cast in terms of the age but it's possible that her source of angst may not have been fully fledged. But I believe this movie in that regard is as miscasted as Deepika Padukone was in Padmavat or Bajirao Mastani where her expressions were often so flat and inadequate for the complexity of the character portrayed. The movie is based on the telling of the story in a book and as far as I have read, the movie was an accurate re-telling of the story. Yes there may have been her involvement in contract killings and drug trade but gangubai lived until she was 68 and it is possible those aspects appeared later in her life an aspect that the movie didn't cover. I agree with the gripe that the story of the movie could have been more fledged out to depict the underbelly gangu worked for as well but that doesn't change the fact that whatever they showed in the film was stuff that she did for the benefit of those who were involved in prostitution. The Disney parade type ending though pointless in that sense, I think downplaying the acting/movie just because it was not what one expected after seeing stuff like sacred games/mirzapur/gangs is an unfair criticism, particularly when you seemed to like the mediocre acting in Padmavat. 🤷
So true these people don't use their brain and teaching whom to cast who is asking them their advice
I absolutely agree with u
I felt the exact same
Unfortunately “choppy” as Korbin pointed out is how I would describe most SLB movies !! They have their moments but overall they are disappointing, and I means this for Bajirao Mastani, Padmavat and whatever else he made before and after. From the trailer to the movie, I was always left disappointed
100%
Rick. Thankyou. I agree. I just feel like when you said you didn't like this Bollywood movie you were so respectful. Explaining how alia and Sanjay are some of the finest stars, constantly reminding us that Alia is so talented and it just didn't work for this film and also explaining why you didn't like this film. clearly knowing how much hype there is for this film. But wasn't this respectful when it comes to reviews for films that aren't maybe too popular or for regional films.. I really wish Rick being this respectful towards the stars and the director continues for other movies as well. Sometimes I feel like Rick just shrugs and says he didn't like it with no concern for people's feelings instead of giving an explanation for other movies. Korbin is always the same, and i have zero complaints. And i agree with the things they said for all the movies irrespective of region. I hope Rick will explain why he didn't like a movie with this much respect and clarity for other films too.
The way bollywood critics hypes a movie with 4 & 5 stars idk comparing it with some Hollywood movies like Godfather actually harms a movie
I know there are a lot of opinions about Alia’s performance and how some other seasoned actress could have done a better job. But in my opinion the problem is not as much with Alia as a performer as it is with the writing and the direction of the film. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is more than capable of bringing out the very best in his actors but when the script itself is weak there’s just so much an actor can do for the movie. That’s the same problem I had with Deepika in Padmavaat. Some people called it the very best performance of her career but for me it was one of her weakest.
Many people think Alia doesn’t suit the part but what we tend to forget is that at the end of the day Sanjay is going to look for an actress who is star enough to bring in audiences to the theater especially when the budget of the film is so massive. Could he have gone with an unknown face who fits the age group he decided to portray in the film? Sure. Would that cause as much attraction as Alia’s star power? No. Could he have chosen an actor like Vidya and through CGI and makeup make her look as young as a 16 year old? Sure. Would that still have as much of an innocence as Alia brought to the screen for the simple reason of her being a very young looking person. Of course that’s not to say age is the only factor someone else couldn’t have been cast.
The film showcased a very specific part of Gangu’s life instead of its entirety so going in with that expectation is obviously gonna cause disappointment. The dialogues were so mediocre as well. But the opulence we expect from a Sanjay Leela film is certainly there because that’s just his style. So once again if you go in with expecting to see realistic, raw and gritty texture you’ll certainly be disappointed.
Alia had to carry the film on her shoulders but I don’t think her performance alone made the film as weak as some people are suggesting. The biggest flaw of Gangubai Kathiawadi is the writing and the direction of the film, unfortunately.
(No, I haven’t been paid for my opinion).
Kangana fitted better. I could see her as Gamgubai
I think i am not watching this because i instantly knew alia is misfit for this role
So slb really did a great blunder by casting her cause what he intended totally went opposite
@@shrutiagarwal1703 Or you can give her a chance and who knows maybe you will be surprised!
I think alia did an absolutely amazing job.... And i genuinely think that was the best she could've done in this movie.
The plot and script itself is a bit rushed and inconsistent. No matter which actor u replace alia with I don’t think they could've done better than that.
I think Tabu would have been far better in that role than Alia. Just my opinion.
Abso-fucking-lutely… Tabu is without a shred of doubt the most consummate artist in all of Bollywood. Queen of raw acting.
@@WinstonKing Just what I thought too. It was just wrong casting tbh
@@RiyaAdvani7 She has a very interesting unique career, always on demand doing unique films, I love how Ajay Devgan is casting her in many projects, they probably are very close friends, doing two new films with him..Love Tabu.
She is the BEST that we have in the country!!!! I am Chandni Bar is a proof that she would be fuckin awesome in these roles!
If you are really honest then Watch Thalaivii , Manikarnika & TWMR, Rangoon, Simran, gangster, fashion Best films Of Kangana Ranaut The most talented Actress of india right now!
I watched the movie after ott release. I liked the movie. this movie depicts one aspect of gangubai's personality. Theme was tell about gangubai working for prostitution rights. Showing too much would have messed the movie. I agree that they could have shown a complex character but this was also good, I don't think it was a mediocre movie.
This is a hugely bad review. Quite snobbish and ignorant to be honest. With all due respect, you can't totally understand the cultural and social nuances if you don't know the language and if you don't understand how Indian movies work. The subtitles don't do justice at all when translated and maybe you weren't able to imbibe it fully. The director stuck to the source matter : Mafia Queens of Mumbai as much as possible and has done a brilliant job with whatever information he had. If you compare this to other movies of SLB, you will realize that its very unlike other SLB movies. As someone mentioned in your Pinned comment: "Guess you guys missed EVERY cultural and socially relevant context to just powerful this movie was."
To truly understand a movie from a certain region, you need to fully understand the language and the social context there which foreign reaction channels will never be able to do.
It should have been Vidya or Rani or kangana , they would have done much better job. Also the editing was not good.
Arey baba Gangubai is not 50 60 years old in the movie. Alia 28 ki hai. Film mein Gangubai 16 se 30 tak hai. Kya Vidya, Tabu iss age mein 16 saal ki acting kar paayengi abhi?! Alia hi uss criteria mein fit beth ti hai aur baakhoobi ussne role nibhaya. Film dekhoge tabhi pata chalega. Hum sab aise hi tareefon ki pul nahi bandh rahe
Alia acting is phenomenal and movie is blockbuster 👌 👏 🙌 😍
Alia didn't hit the right chords through her acting..
Worst SLB film I have seen.
For me, I liked this movie as well as the casting, as it made me see a woman's vulnerable side even though she acted tough, and maybe that's what SLB wanted. This is no Anurag Kashyap movie, SLB has usually not potrayed grey characters, it is either black or white - the entire story of Padmavat was made into this black and white trope, completely deviating from the source, and yet because it was 'completely black' - Ranveer's character, it might have seemed interesting. I liked this one because i felt like for a society wherein things like selling off women still happen rampantly, and where such women are never given justice, and where they are consequently ostracized from society (education, respect, etc), I didn't mind the deification for once - maybe it attempted to make people feel a certain amount of empathy for this section of society which in India is not possible with a complex character - e.g. Gehraiyan. Most Indian audiences cannot handle complex characters, especially if it comes from acteresses who have ever expressed their political opinions that was not in tune with the masses..
Agreed
they did that with Kangana Ranaut too. They make them take badass female roles but end up disappointing. There are actual strong female actresses in Bollywood but they wanted to go with a young actor just because they thought that with bring in more views. Rekha, Tabu, or Madhuri Dixit would've worked better for that role
How would rekha, madhuri and tabu play someone from 16 to early 30s. Alia is the perfect age.. She is 29
@@Pratyushprusty1998 true these people are brainless
didn't watch it yet but i'd loved to see actors like vidya balan or even rani in this kind of roles
Update : I watched it and I think alia did a great job
Honestly not gonna lie, you were really overhyping the shit out of it.. Yes your expectations were way too high..☹
Alia is just not made for such movies. I'd suggest just always go with no expectations. Expect the worst!!
I think kangana could have played this role alot better.
She has that grit and vulnerability that was missing from alia's performance.
SLB has never really told any of his films the way it happened. He has always Sanjay-fied it. In real life, Bajirao loved Kashi more, and tied the knot with Mastani to give her respect (and he did have a son with her). Obviously he can't make his movie if he told it the way it actually happened. The Padmaavat story is almost as if there is no way to tell what was real and what was part of the poem written a century later, as no proof exists of any character except Ranveer's Khilji. So in certain sense, Sanjay has always made his version of the story, and not the real true version.
u people don't even know hindi properly u don't teach writing and editing to the legend he knows everything this film is one of the best movies amongs all and Alia is born to do this Role and she gave her 100% and made this film blockbuster
I have mot seen the movie nor do I intend to see since looking at the trailer one can say its over dramatized. And somehow Alia is not fitting into the role.
After watching the trailer I too thought that Alia is nt fit..
Don't judge on the basis of reviews by anyone .
Go and watch.
Garbage movie throughout
I might be good in Mathematics doesn't mean I've to be good in History or if I'm good in History doesn't mean that I'll excel in English.....a good student is always a good student but to make her study every subject is actually demeaning her talent.....similarly a good actor is always a good actor ......no one denies the fact that Alia is a stalwart but to cast her in every role in the name of versatility is crazy so the very basic problem with this industry is that expecting way too much of an actor than his or hers capacity.......U guys are ryt ....Radhika would've nailed it even I guess Taapsee ,Bhumi , Kriti,Sanya would've nailed it......but why weren't they casted......does anyone knows the answer.......its simple guys.... Ofcourse NEPOTISM 😂
Reviews really are all over the place for this film!! I don't trust anyone, I'll see for myself lol 😄
this was me with Gehraiyaan..😄
I didn't watch any review or ratings before watching the movie. I really liked the movie. It's definitely not perfect but not a bad one either. You should really watch it atleast once.
I am seeing majority people are praising the film and the performances. They are the odd one out. Now it depends on person to person how the film is, seeing the response the film has got, I can say it's a good film.
@@ritwiksingh71 You're right, I looked into it more and the reviews seem mostly good, with some people just not feeling it.
@@AriaIsara did u like gangubhai?
So all the reservations I have with every SLB film came true in this one. 🙂
Was hoping this was the exception. I guess it's not.
Very good review, appreciate the honesty
Definitely it is not a good film and definitely not better than previous Sanjay Leela Bhansali films padmavat and bajirao mastani
Disney-fied seems about right. This movie needed Anurag.
Well I really loved the film and alia given her best performance till date
Kangna Runout would make this film a masterpiece.
Truly or kareena kapoor
Yes agreed
@@saja2981 love Kareena but her acting range is limited to Poo.
@@shantagees9425 talaash, chameli
@@shantagees9425you’re very wrong
nobody will like this movie
kudos to say that
I went in expecting a bhansali film and thats what i got. Bhansali loves sacrifice and heroism. He loves making the hero who went through so much and sacrificed so much for others. Thats exactly what he did here. It was mafia bhansali style.
And god didnt we need more of vijay.
Its funny to hear names of other actresses who could have suited the rule because
That’s not how things work in india, its not the character that makes for actor casting its the other way. Its all about star system.
Rick raised a relevant question, what was so compelling about the story that it needed to be told or why was it told this way ?! SLB is too Bollywood to take socially sensitive topics head on. He will throw some paint in the background and make his actors prance around the elephant in the room, but not address it. Stupid family should watch Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah in Shyam Benegals Mandi just to see how authentic artists handle such topics! Incidentally Mandi also stars Alia Bhats mom Soni Razdan!
Chandni Bar ... watch that.. amazing movie..
Not impressed with 83 or GK with your favourite actors? What are the odds? Gullyboy was your lovechild. Thank god for Siddarnth Chaturvedi and Gehraiyaan.
Gehraiyaan was awful as a film but okay
@@blahblah1939 it was watchable especially who has mental health issues.