Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi Almost Starred Rani Mukerji — Aditya Narayan Reveals

Aditya Narayan, once an assistant to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, shares how the filmmaker initially imagined Rani Mukerji as Gangubai before Alia Bhatt eventually took the role.

Singer and television host Aditya Narayan has revealed an intriguing detail about the early stages of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi. Speaking with Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa, he shared that Bhansali had once considered casting Rani Mukerji in the titular role—years before Alia Bhatt brought the character to life on screen.

Aditya, who briefly worked as an assistant director with Bhansali, said the opportunity came during a rough patch in his career. After the failure of his film Shaapit, he was out of work for nearly a year, with PR support and film offers disappearing. His fortunes shifted when he landed the hosting role on X Factor India, where Bhansali was a judge. Encouraged by Sonu Nigam, Aditya asked Bhansali for a chance to learn filmmaking. Initially, Bhansali didn’t take him seriously and gave him no work for the first week, assuming he might quit. But soon, Aditya was brought into the creative process.

At the time, Bhansali was developing two scripts—Ram-Leela and Gangubai Kathiawadi. He handed both to his team for feedback, and Aditya admitted he preferred Ram-Leela. He also revealed that Bhansali had envisioned Rani Mukerji as Gangubai in those early drafts. Years later, when the film finally materialized, Alia Bhatt took on the role, and her performance went on to earn her the National Award for Best Actress.

Released in 2022, Gangubai Kathiawadi became both a critical and commercial hit, grossing around ₹211.5 crore worldwide. Based on a chapter from Hussain Zaidi’s Mafia Queens of Mumbai, it told the story of Gangubai, a woman who rose from exploitation in Mumbai’s Kamathipura to wield extraordinary influence. Alongside Alia, the film featured Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh, Seema Pahwa, and Ajay Devgn.

Currently, Aditya Narayan is part of the reality show Rise & Fall, hosted by Ashneer Grover. Meanwhile, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is working on his next magnum opus Love & War, starring Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, and Vicky Kaushal, scheduled to release in March 2026.