Within a week of its streaming on Netflix , Gangubai Kathiawadi has become the Number 1 Non-English film on Netflix globally. The film has been watched for 13.81 million hours and has featured in the Top 10 in Films in 25 countries across the world, including Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and UAE.
Talking about how the film has been appreciated on Netflix, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, “Gangubai Kathiawadi is a special film that I hold very close to my heart. The audience loved it when it was released in theaters and now, with Netflix, we are delighted to see how wide the film has been able to reach, finding new audiences. Its success on the streaming platform reinforces that Gangubai’s story of fight for justice for women is truly universal.”
Adds Alia Bhatt , “It’s amazing to see how great stories continue to find new audiences, within India and beyond with Netflix. With all the love that Gangubai Kathiawadi has been receiving from its viewers all over the world, I’m rendered speechless. I’ve always aspired to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and to have our film find a home on Netflix and receive the splendid response it did, fills me with gratitude. Streaming services break barriers of borders and languages and allow stories to find newer audiences everyday. To see Gangubai Kathiawadi trend at #1 in Non-English films globally on Netflix and in the Top 10 in 25 countries from Australia, Canada to the Kingdom is simply overwhelming!”
Sanjay Bhansali has personally supervised the mastering of the digital version of Gangubai Kathiawadi to ensure that the film would be equally thrilling on the OTT platform to those who have seen the film on the large screen and for those experiencing the film for the first time.
Says SLB, “All I can say is, the response to the digital version of Gangubai Kathiawadi is as exciting for the audience as it is for us. The film was loved by the audience in theatres. It is getting the same love from the home-viewing audience.”
The one major change that has happened since the theatrical release of Gangubai Kathiawadi is the marital status of the film’s heroine Alia Bhatt. Since the film’s release she has becomes Mrs Ranbir Kapoor. So technically this is Alia’s first release since marriage.
