Gangubai Kathiawadi has worked well overseas too: Bhansali Productions CEO

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022) is the first big successful Hindi film in a long time. Prerna Singh, CEO, Bhansali Productions, spoke to Vanita Kohli-Khandekar about what went into its release and the company’s future plans. Edited excerpts:

How much business has Gangubai Kathiawadi done?

The film has grossed (inclusive of taxes) Rs 200 crore at the global box office. If we add broadcast and streaming rights, it would be closer to Rs 300 crore overall. And there are still staggered revenues coming in from global markets where the film is still being discovered.

You released the film in February when there were restrictions in place for Omicron. How did that affect its success?

We started shooting Gangubai Kathiawadi in December 2019. The first lockdown began in March 2020. All our energies were focused on releasing the film when the world reopens. Our only ambition was that the film should be seen by as many people as possible, that it should be a theatrical release. From January this year, we were in touch with exhibitors on a regular basis. We thought we should wait for the audience to come back and for other releases. SLB (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) and I had this discussion several times. Finally SLB said why don’t we release it first. On February 25, even when Mumbai, Gujarat and Delhi, the three key Hindi markets, were at 50 per cent capacity (due to pandemic restrictions), we released it. It did Rs 36-37 crore in the first weekend. If the 50 per cent capacity restriction was not there, it would have done another Rs 30-40 crore. But today we are happy. It is the first bona fide Hindi hit (this year). And it has worked well overseas too.

SLB’s work finds affinity in the global markets…
 

From Black (2005) to Padmaavat (2018), his cinema does well. Black opened up the Korean market for India. Padmaavat worked across the globe. Gangubai Kathiawadi was invited to Berlin (it premiered there in February 2022). It got a (eight-minute) standing ovation and opened the European market for us. When the content is good and the maker has stature, it works. The overseas market brought in (ballpark) Rs 50-55 crore of the total theatrical. The affinity is not just from the diaspora but also from other people. In the UK, Gangubai Kathiawadi was number one for three weeks. It is also doing well in the non-traditional markets like Thailand. Then it premiered on Netflix and is among the top ten in more than 30 countries.

Bhansali Productions is still about the one film SLB does every few years. Will it remain a production house or could it become a studio?

The script or story is key and that takes a long time. We have a big show coming up on Netflix. Heeramandi is created by SLB and he will be directing the first of the seven episodes. There is another feature film in the works.