The B-Story of Love that Moved My Cold, Dead Heart

Have you every watched a movie that romantically moved you so well? Alia Bhatt's performance as Gangubai in Gangubai Kathiawadi did it for me, but it's not a love story you may be used to.

Gangubai accepting a carriage ride that Afsaan put together. Photo sourced from The Celebs website.

Warning: Possible spoilers for Gangubai Kathiawadi

What a headliner, right? :)

But it's the truth-- I am not one to be swayed easily by romantic plots, whether they are the A story or the B story. It doesn't matter if it is something as cheesy as a Hallmark special (although I love Lacey Chabert as an actress, she's really good at the meet-cute story technique), or as intense as Pedro and Tita from Like Water for Chocolate, it takes a lot to move my cold, dead heart. Romantic relationships, in reality, are not of high importance or interest for me, so it's tough to find that specific connection when I watch movies. With that said, that does not mean that I am NEVER swayed by romantic plots in movies or TV-- it's just not often.

For some reason, when recently stumbled across Gangubai Kathiawadi on Netflix, something inside my soul woke up.

Gangubai Kathiawadi is a Indian biographical drama about a young woman, Ganga, who is sold into the world of sex work after false promises of love and an acting career from a former boyfriend. The main A-story focuses on Ganga, who changes her name to Gangubai, and her uprising and liberation after working in a brothel, being physically abused by a customer, and being shunned from her parents. She becomes not only the madame of her brothel after the previous madame's death, but also a strong political figure and a huge advocate for her girls and other girls in and around their brothel. She ends up creating strong connections with mafia leader Rahim Lala and eventually speaks out against the local school pushing away the daughters of the women living in the brothel.

Gangubai does experience a romantic love, though, around her push for freedom and righteous and well-deserved power. It's starts out as a simple one with a man who is so pure I genuinely thought I wasn't seeing straight. Gangubai meets Afsaan, the son of her tailor who makes her these beautiful white sarees that represent power and calmness. There is instantly a strange connection between the tough, outspoken Gangubai and the nervous, yet sweet Afsaan.

Gangubai's first encounter with Afsaan when her tailor (Afsaan's son) brings her new white sarees for a fitting. Photo sourced from The News International website.

Already, by this point, I was intrigued by this story, mainly because Gangubai was such a tough female figure, I was sure she was going to eat him alive.

Some very sweet scenes follow their first meeting, many of which have no dialogue. For many of the first few scenes, the curious couple use hand gestures, playing cards, facial expressions, and head bobbles to seemingly speak to each other (it's absolutely gorgeous and very funny). It's a beautiful form of Indian communication that I believe can easily be understood in these scenes by many, especially when combined their facial expressions and movements.

As we get deeper into the relationship, Gangubai and Afsaan get more comfortable with each other-- not by a whole lot, but inch by inch. There is a scene, with audio completely covered by the song Meridian Jaan, where Gangubai and Afsaan are riding inside the back of a sports car provided to her by Rahim. They continue their playful lover's silent banter and enjoy the evening. It's sweet and silly until a very specific moment happens: both are frustrated with the other's moves and are staring out the window when Gangubai moves Afsaan's hand to her head gently... she guides him to pet her head and he understands the assignment easily-- her eyes fill with tears. This is the first time Gangubai has been able to let down her walls, allow someone else into her life, and let love and compassion in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldWFpeu36K0

You can watch the scene unfold here. Video posted by Saregama Music on YouTube.

This scene melts hearts left and right. We get so invested in this playful love story of the viperess and the hare that the turning point of their relationship hits us like a brick.

Then it happens-- we realize Gungubai cannot marry Afsaan.

Why? Because she is a prostitute.

It dawns on the audience that no matter how much Afsaan loves her and willing to do anything for her, they cannot marry. It's almost impossible to get a family's blessing to enter into a family if you are a sex worker, let alone most families disown their daughters the moment you step inside the brothels and are bought.

Simultaneously back in Gangubai's brothel, we are confronted by one of the daughters birthed by a woman living and working in the brothel, sound asleep in the chicken coop on the roof. She's disheveled, as the women have been hiding her all sorts of places nearby to keep her away from the male patrons of the brothel (as one of the characters mentions, the moment a man sees her he will want to buy her). The special thing about this girl, though, is that she has been untouched.

So what does Gangubai do? Puts the girl first and offers her hand in marriage to Afsaan's family, a very large dowery included.

The scene where Gangubai is negotiating with Afsaan and his parents is a tough one. She has put up her emotional walls again and is advocating strictly for the girl, even though Afsaan questions her motives. She blows them off and entices the family to accept the girl's hand and the large dowery. Gangubai does this to protect the girl's dignity, something she lost very early on in her life. She follows through with her mission of helping others, probably in the most painful way possible.

Shortly after this, Gangubai attends a performance during the wedding ceremonies of the girl and Afsaan, where we see an interesting set of interactions between the two. While Gangubai is hiding a lot of her main through these moments, we know she's hurting inside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-VGi8FodFs

You can watch the scene unfold here. Video posted by Saregama Music on YouTube.

A soul crushing love story, but with dignity and grace. So what part sold me?

Yes, I was moved by the romantic relationship the two had, but I think I was even more sold on the fact that Gangubai's love for protecting her women and those working industry help other live happier lives that the one she lived.

The best kind of stories are the ones where we see our main characters make the ultimate sacrifice for others, and Gangubai does this countless times, over and over again, throughout the entire movie. This is what makes a true hero, and and even truer one knowing that this movie was loosely based off of a woman's real life.

Gangubai Kathiawadi is a true hero, a hero that I often do not see in media so well-represented, so well-rounded, and so deeply connecting.

At the end of the movie, too, we see Afsaan and his wife again, this time rejoicing Gangubai's presence in the parade, waving to her along with the rest of the crowd. Afsaan's wife is now pregnant, and the two looks so happy together. The look Afsaan gives Gangubai is more of a, "thank you, and bless you for what you've done". It truly tugs at the heartstrings.

A collage of Gangubai's life, featuring her at the end of the movie. Photo sourced by FGN News website.

So yes, this was the B-Story of love that moved my cold, dead heart-- it was the best combination of tragedy and romance folded up nicely to create the icing on the cake. This B-Story also impacted many other elements of the film itself, making Gangubai a strong authoritative figure who beat the odds and spread happiness and dignity to many other women in her district and beyond. This story truly struck something personal inside me and made me really appreciate and relate to this woman, and so should you.