The youngest Bhatt on preparing for Gangubai Kathiawadi

Actor Alia Bhatt says she watched a lot of classic Hindi films, particularly those featuring Meena Kumari, to prepare for her role in “Gangubai Kathiawadi” as director Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted her to channel the old world charm and grace that the heroines of that era had.

Bhatt also saw Shabana Azmi-starrer “Mandi”, a Shyam Benegal film that featured her mother Soni Razdan, American period drama “Memoirs of a Geisha” and other old Indian films as part of her preparation.

The upcoming period drama features Bhatt in the title role of Gangubai, one of the most powerful, loved and respected madams from Mumbai’s red-light area Kamathipura during the 1960s. “He (Bhansali) wanted me to watch Meena Kumari’s work a lot, her expressions... the way she would sing a song, although I am not going all out singing songs in the movie. There is a certain sadness in her eyes, but there is a power to her face. He would say, ‘See her face, which is so full’... I also watched ‘Mandi’,” Bhatt told PTI in an interview.

Another instruction from the director for the actor was to “eat” and “be happy on the sets”. “I had the most amount of food on the sets. During the shoot of ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, I was eating all my favourite ‘ghar ka’ (homemade) food. I had a great time.”

Bhatt said as a ‘90s kid, she grew up as a big Govinda fan, watching films purely for entertainment but when she stepped into the acting profession, there w e r e c e r t a i n films that were recommended to her. That’s when she discovered some of the great performances of Hindi cinema.

“Being an actor is one thing and being a heroin is another. I hav been referre to watch thes films and when ever I do, I onl have admiration whether it is fo Waheeda Rehma ji, Shabana Azm ji, Madhubal ji... The way the would do thes long shots, it give you goosebump Somehow, we hav lost that charm o presenting a hero ine like that, tha old-world charm"

“Ganguba Kathiawadi” which the acto calls her “mos creatively satisfy ing experience”, came her way after two previous collaborations with Bhansali fell through. Bhansali reportedly wanted Bhatt, known for “Highway”, “Udta Punjab”, “Raazi” and “Gully Boy”, for a film titled “Balika Vadhu” when she was just 11. Then, there was “Inshallah” with Salman Khan that didn’t work out.

The actor admits she was “heartbroken” when “Inshallah” got shelved. “But Sanjay sir, being true to his words, said I should take a break and that he has something for me. I went on a holiday and when I came back, he presented this script to me, which he had for a couple of years.” Sometimes the stars just align, Bhatt pointed out.

“It is one of the highest creative benchmarks that you will experience as an actor. Doing an SLB film is a milestone in your career. If you are lucky, you go on to have a couple more. His vision is one of a kind, it is truly magical. I have from the very beginning admired his work, right from ‘Khamoshi’” the 28-yearold actor said. Bhatt said she rewatched all of Bhansali’s films while shooting for “Gangubai Kathiawadi”, to the point that her boyfriend, actor Ranbir Kapoor, who made his debut with the director’s “Saawariya” in 2007, quipped she was “obsessed”. She a dmits he was initially “nervous” about playing the titular character.

“It was a diferent genre from what I was supposed to do with him earlier. This s an emotional, hard-hitting film. For a second, I was a little doubtul of myself. I suddenly had (these houghts)… which has never happened to me. (But) sir was very clear and asked me to think about it.”

But she was so keen to be a part of Bhansali’s vision that she did not hesitate long to say yes to the film, which is based on a chapter from S Hussain Zaidi’s book “Mafia Queens of Mumbai”.

The most exciting aspect of working on the film for Bhatt was creating Gangubai for the screen. “She came to be an actress, so what would be her personality? Her rise, fight for sex workers rights, fight for children’s education rights. What got her to all of that point, her speech at Azad Maidan, etc? Then comes those imaginative scenes but filling in those gaps was actually what I enjoyed the most.” Bhatt said initially there were plans for her to visit Kamathipura incognito but they were scrapped at the last moment.

“I was all-ready one evening at 7 pm, that there will be a car in which I will go there incognito. Suddenly sir called and said we are one day away f