Gangubai Kathiawadi to campaign for BAFTA Awards in all categories, including Best Actress for Alia Bhatt

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi is starting its campaign for the awards season. But it isn’t just the Indian awards that the film is vying for. As per a release from the film’s team, the film is being submitted for the prestigious British Academy Film (BAFTA) Awards 2023 in all categories. The film has officially begun its campaign for the same. Also read: Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai Kathiawadi is top non-English film on Netflix worldwide

The 76th BAFTA Awards will take place at the Royal Festival Hall in London in February 2023. Any film released during the qualifying period in the UK is eligible for the award, regardless of its country of origin or language. Gangubai will not just compete for the Best Foreign Film category (officially called Best Film Not in the English Language) but also for other major categories.

A statement from the film’s team says that as part of the campaign, Gangubai Kathiawadi will be submitted for BAFTA members’ consideration in all categories including Best Film, Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Leading Actress.

Gangubai Kathiawadi was added to the official screening calendar for BAFTA voting members in October. Sanjay Leela Bhansali will now be visiting London and take part innumerous events to support the campaign. The first of these will be him speaking about his craft at a BAFTA Masterclass on November 28. Bhansali has made his presence felt at the BAFTA Awards once before. In 2003, his film Devdas had been nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

Speaking about the campaign, the director said, “We are immensely blessed to have received so much appreciation for our film globally and we’re very excited to be part of the conversation this awards season amongst BAFTA voters.” The film’s lead actor Alia Bhatt added, “It is a great honour to take Gangubai Kathiawadi to the world stage and it gives me nothing but joy to be on this journey with Sanjay sir. The world has shown the film a lot of love and appreciation and we are excited to receive this love in the UK as well.”

Gangubai Kathiawadi is a semi-fictionalised account of the life of a real-life sex worker-turned social activist from Mumbai. Alia Bhatt played the titular role in the critically-acclaimed and commercially successful film. The film earned over ₹200 crore globally and Alia’s performance, in particular, was praised by critics.

Gangubai isn’t the only major Indian film this year (or the only Alia-starrer for that matter) to be vying for prestigious international honours. SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster RRR has been submitted in all categories for the Oscars next year. As per many pundits, it is a frontrunner to bag a few nominations as well, something no Indian feature film has ever done.