Already a massive hit in India, where it is the fifth-highest grossing film of 2022, “Gangubai Kathiawadi” is director-cowriter Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s rendering of a real-life tale of an Indian activist sold into brothel culture who went on to become a notable social crusader known as Gangubai Kothewali (among other names). The film, cowritten with Utkarshini Vashishtha, is a panoramic look at a most unusual life, told in long takes and epic form.
Bhansali revealed some of his process in conversation with Awards Reporter Joe McGovern during a virtual screening of the film as part of TheWrap’s 2022-2023 Awards Season Screening Series.