Since its release on February 25, 2022, Alia Bhatt’s film Gangubai Kathiawadi has been breaking box office records. Alia shared the film’s poster on her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, revealing that it has now become Netflix’s top non-English film worldwide. Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz, and Ajay Devgn also star in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film.
Gangubai Kathiawadi has surpassed all other non-English films on Netflix in less than a week. The film has been viewed for 13.81 million hours in 25 countries around the world, including Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates.
On their Instagram Stories, Alia and her mother Soni Razdan announced Gangubai Kathiawadi’s new milestone. The story follows Gangu (Alia), who was sold into a brothel in Mumbai’s Kamathipura, and is based on S Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai.
“It’s amazing to see how great stories continue to find new audiences, within India and beyond, with Netflix,” Alia said of the film’s success on Netflix. I’m speechless in the face of all the love that Gangubai Kathiawadi has received from viewers all over the world. I’ve always wanted to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and I’m grateful that our film was able to find a home on Netflix and receive such a positive response.”
“Streaming services, particularly Netflix, break down geographical and linguistic barriers, allowing stories to reach new audiences on a daily basis.” It’s incredible to see Gangubai Kathiawadi trend at #1 in Non-English films on Netflix worldwide and in the Top 10 in 25 countries ranging from Australia to Canada to the United Kingdom.
Sanjay expressed his delight as well, saying, “Gangubai Kathiawadi is a special film that I hold very dear to my heart.” When it first came out in theatres, the audience adored it, and now that it’s available on Netflix, we’re thrilled to see how far the film has spread, reaching new audiences. Its Netflix success proves that Gangubai’s story of fighting for women’s rights is truly universal.”
