Gangubai Kothewali Explained

Gangubai Kothewali
Other Names:Gangubai Kathiawadi
Birth Name:Ganga Harjeevandas
Birth Date:1928
Birth Place:Kathiawar, British India
(present-day Gujarat, India)
Death Date:[1]
Death Place:Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Gangubai Harjeevandas (1907 – 8 September 1977), better known as Gangubai Kothewali[2] or Gangubai Kathiawadi,[2] was an Indian social activist, prostitute and pimp of a brothel in the Kamathipura area of Mumbai during the 1960s. Gangubai worked for the rights of sex workers and for the well-being of orphans.[3] She gradually ended up operating her own brothel and is known to also have lobbied for the rights of commercial sex workers.[4]

Life

She was sold into prostitution at aged 16, in 1944, by her suitor, Ramnik Lal, after running away from home to Bombay. She came to be known as the Madame of Kamathipura at aged 25 in 1953, for being an influential pimp in the city with underworld connections, peddling drugs. Later in life (presumably around 1957), she met Jawaharlal Nehru to discuss the plight of sex workers and improve their living conditions.[5] [6] Journalist Pamban Mu Prasanth noted in his article about her in BBC Tamil that a great deal of that is unsubstantiated.[7]

Mafia Queens of Mumbai (2011) by Hussain Zaidi contains information on the lives of thirteen women who influenced Mumbai. In it, Zaidi also gives information about Gangubai. According to this, Gangubai was from a highly educated family and was obsessed with working in films and was a fan of Dev Anand. Gangubai, 16, and her husband Ramnik Lal, 26, fled to Mumbai and got married. Within a few days of the marriage, her husband sold her in a kuntankhana (brothel) for . Reluctantly, Gangubai started working as a prostitute. In a short time, Gangubai became the head of some kuntankhanas. A goon named Shaukat Khan Pathan started exploiting her financially and physically. Gangubai went to the then underworld don Karim Lala to complain about Pathan. Lala assured her of help and was tied a rakhi in return. After this, Shaukat Khan was warned and roughed-up by Lala.

Since then, Gangubai's repute as Karim Lala's supposed sister grew during the 1960s. St. Anthony's Girls' High School, which was established in Kamathipura in 1922, started a campaign to clean up the area of "bad influence". This led to an order to move the brothel. Gangubai vehemently opposed this and effectively presented her case to the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957, and as a result, the brothel was not moved.

During this time Gangubai was also working for various issues of orphans and women in the prostitution business. Gangubai counseled and sent back many young women, who had fled their homes for working in films and got stuck in prostitution. For this reason, everyone used to respectfully call Gangubai Ganga Maa (mother). After her death, her photographs and statues were erected in brothels of the area.

In popular culture

Her life was documented in the 2011 book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai, by writer and investigative journalist Hussain Zaidi.

The 2022 Indian Hindi-language film Gangubai Kathiawadi is based on the life of Gangubai Kothewali and a chapter of Zaidi's book, and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali with actress Alia Bhatt playing the titular character.[8] [9] The film premiered at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival and emerged as a major commercial and critical success,[10] [11] winning numerous accolades including five National Film Awards and eleven Filmfare Awards.[12] [13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gangubai's daughter speaks to outlook. Outlook. 3 March 2022. YouTube. 31 March 2022. See 0:22 onwards, "She died in 1977" .
  2. News: Jain . Vaishali . Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi earns rave review from Aamir Khan's daughter Ira Khan; read here . 23 May 2022 . India TV News . 2 May 2022 . en.
  3. News: Taneja . Parina . 16 January 2020 . Who is Gangubai Kathiawadi, whose husband sold her at a brothel for Rs 500? . 4 April 2022 . India TV News . en.
  4. News: Shaikh . Zeeshan . 23 February 2022 . Explained: Who was Gangubai Kathiawadi? Why is Alia Bhatt's film on her facing legal troubles? . The Indian Express . 4 April 2022.
  5. Web site: Know Gangubai Kothewali, The Legendary Brothel Madam Alia Bhatt Will Be Playing In SLB's Next. 22 September 2019. Desimartini. en. 21 January 2020.
  6. Web site: गंगूबाई कोठेवाली-पति ने ₹500 में बेचा था,भंसाली उनपर फिल्म बनाएंगे. 25 September 2019. Quint Hindi. hi. 21 January 2020.
  7. Web site: 8 March 2022 . யார் இந்த கங்குபாய்? கணவனால் விற்கப்பட்ட 16 வயது பெண் மும்பையைக் கலக்கிய கதை . 12 December 2022 . BBC News தமிழ் . ta.
  8. News: Alia Bhatt begins shooting for Gangubai Kathiawadi, shares pic of her trailer:'Look what Santa gave me this year'. Hindustan Times. 27 December 2019. 27 December 2019.
  9. Web site: Who was Gangubai Kathiawadi: The real woman behind Alia Bhatt's latest character. Vogue India. 15 January 2020. en-IN. 21 January 2020.
  10. Web site: GANGUBAI KATHIAWADI (2022). Rotten Tomatoes. 9 November 2022. 8 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230308175528/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gangubai_kathiawadi. live.
  11. Web site: 8 March 2022 . Women's Day Special: Alia Bhatt doesn't need a hero to give a Rs. 100 crore hit, women audience can make a film a HIT - Analyzing the trends in the SUCCESS of Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi . live . 3 August 2022 . . 3 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220803124843/https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/news/features/womens-day-special-alia-bhatt-doesnt-need-hero-give-rs-100-crore-hit-women-audience-can-make-film-hit-analyzing-trends-success-alia-bhatts-gan/ .
  12. Web site: 69th National Film Awards 2023 complete winners list: Rocketry, Alia Bhatt, Kriti Sanon, Allu Arjun, RRR, Gangubai Kathiawadi win big. 24 August 2023.
  13. News: 28 April 2023 . Winners of the 68th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2023 . Filmfare . live . 28 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230427192148/https://www.filmfare.com/awards/filmfare-awards-2023/winners . 27 April 2023.