Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi magnum opus, starring Alia Bhatt, is set to make its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival next year.
Considered one of the largest public film festivals in the world and an essential forum for the global film community, the film gala will take place from February 10 to February 20, 2022.
The festival organizers announced on Wednesday that Gangubai Kathiawadi is the only Indian selection and one of the four films confirmed for the Special Gala section of the Berlinale.
“The films selected at the Berlinale Special pay tribute to great people and to the tough but always amazing world we live in,” the Berlinale’s official website said in a statement.
Gangubai Kathiawadi is a police drama, adapted from one of the chapters in the book by the famous author Hussain Zaidi, Mafia Queens of Mumbai. Following the 2019 Gully Boy musical drama, the upcoming film marks Bhatt’s second appearance at the Berlinale.
The period film features Bhatt in the eponymous role of Gangubai, one of the most powerful, beloved and respected madam of the Kamathipura area of Mumbai with red lights during the 1960s.
Supported by Bhansali Productions and co-produced by Jayantilal Gada’s Pen India Limited, Gangubai Kathiawadi is set to hit theaters on February 18, 2022.
Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director of the Berlinale, said that cinema continues to be a “tool that connects people”.
“The pandemic has created distances – not only between people but also the way we see the world. The 2022 selection includes films made during the pandemic, reflecting how you feel disconnected from others. “It’s with this first batch of films that we want to highlight the power of cinema as a tool that connects people, places and times ahead,” Chatrian said in a statement.
Other films in the Berlinale special line-up are: Against the Ice, propos de Joan (About Joan) and Der Passf’lscher (The Forger).
Against the Ice, a joint production of Iceland, USA and Denmark, is directed by Peter Flinth. Starring “Game of Thrones”, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Charles Dance, Peaky Blinders actor Joe Cole and Poldark actress Heida Reed.
“About de Joan (About Joan)” is directed by Laurent Larivi’re and stars French film Isabelle Huppert, “Matilda” actor Lars Eidinger and “By the Grace of God” star Swann Arlaud. The film is a joint production of France, Germany and Ireland.
Directed by Maggie Peren, Der Passf’lscher (The Forger) comes from Germany and Luxembourg. Dark star Louis Hofmann, Jonathan Berlin of The Third King and Biohackers star Luna Wedler.
Le ch’ne (Heart of Oak) from France, directed by Laurent Charbonnier and Michel Seydoux. 1341 Framim Mehamatzlema Shel Micha Bar-Am (1341 Frames of Love and War) from Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States, directed by Ran Tal, and Jason Kohn’s Nothing Lasts Forever are among the documentaries part of the Berlinale Special List.
