The period drama is, however, crafted meticulously not so much for factual accuracy as for effect.
As is the writer-director's wont, he abandons the grimy, granular, journalistic view of the lives that S. Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges
Stories of Women from the Ganglands) and throws a grandiose, melodramatic patina over the exploits of the titular heroine who transforms herself
from a grievously wronged girl to an intrepid activist for the rights of sex workers and their children.
It is with a fair bit of trepidation that one approaches the casting of the waif-like Alia Bhatt in the role of an assertive matriarch of 4000 prostitutes fighting for survival in a world
where lust trumps love day and night, but the actress puts all doubts to rest with a marvellously lively performance that grows steadily on the audience.
The period details are manifested in the songs that play in the background and the movie posters
The other is an extempore speech that Gangubai delivers at a women's empowerment rally at Azad Maidan.