# Gangubai Kathiawadi (soundtrack)

Gangubai Kathiawadi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2022 film of the same name, directed and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and starring Alia Bhatt in the titular role. The film was loosely based on the life of Indian sex worker and social activist Gangubai Kothewali and documented in the novel Mafia Queens of Mumbai, written by S. Hussain Zaidi. Besides directing, Bhansali also composed the film's soundtrack while the score was composed by Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara. The lyrics for the songs were written by Kumaar, A. M. Turaz and Bhojak Ashok "Anjam". The album was released under the Saregama record label on 18 February 2022 with a simultaneous Telugu version which had lyrics written by Chaitanya Prasad.

## Background

Gangubai Kathiawadi is Bhansali's sixth film as a composer. Like all of his earlier films, Bhansali would curate the tunes after reading the script owing to his belief on music that would be expressed in certain moments over dialogues. The soundtrack accompanied mostly female singers except for one song, while Bhansali also introduced Janhvi Shrimankar and Archana Gore in their playback debuts as they rendered two songs for the film. The musical palette accompanied the use of traditional instrumentation that served the multitude of genres such as Indian folk, qawwali and Indian classical music. It was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2021 where the musicians had to work remotely. The album was arranged by Shail Hada and Raja Pandit, with music production handled by Jackie Vanjari and programmed by Sanjay Jaipurwale and Shivansh Kapil.
In April 2021, Bhansali had signed a long-term partnership contract with Saregama India Ltd. which allowed the label to collaborate with three projects, including Gangubai Kathiawadi. This initiative eventually marked the label's return to film music acquisition after six years, where it had paid ₹20 crore (US$2.4 million) for the music rights. Bhansali cited this as a special and personal collaboration which he attributed to listening the "golden classics of Hindi cinema" which the label's music catalogue holds, in his formative years, that had shaped his storytelling and worldbuilding.

## Release

The first single from the album "Dholida" was released on 10 February 2022. It is a garda dance number set in the backdrop of Navaratri festival and was choreographed by Kruti Mahesh. The second single "Jab Saiyaan" was released in conjunction with Valentine's Day (14 February). The album was released on 18 February 2022 in Hindi and Telugu languages. Post release, the music video of the song "Meri Jaan" was unveiled on 21 February. It was followed by the videos for the song, "Jhume Re Gori" on 25 February, and "Shikayat" on 9 March.

## Reception

In his review for Film Companion, Prathyush Parasuraman summarized that "the songs of Gangubai Kathiawadi move quickly between genres of feeling. You cannot listen to it as a single mood piece neatly transitioning, like you would for his longer albums." Anish Mohanty in his review for Planet Bollywood stated that "With Gangubai Kathiawadi, Sanjay Leela Bhansali shows some growth as a composer. Unlike the albums he has put together in the past, it consistently engaging and does not really offer a dull moment." Lakshmi Govindarajan Javeri in her review for Firstpost stated "the poignant ones are leaps ahead of the dance numbers even though the latter will command more airplay [...] Listen to the album for what Bhansali is not projecting: the underlining sensitivity of human emotions."
Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times wrote "Meri Jaan and Jab Saiyaan are soft romantic tracks while Dholida and Jhume Re Gori let you groove to some peppy folk beats." Sneha Bengani of CNBC TV18 compared the music and score to that of Spencer (2021) that "elevates the narrative, makes it river-like—free-flowing, uncontainable, with a life of its own." Shilajit Mitra of Cinema Express wrote "'Dholia' and 'Jhume Re Gori' are nods to earlier songs, though there's much invention to the lush, entertaining 'Meri Jaan'." Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India, however wrote, "Each song is masterfully and colourfully picturised [...] but none of the songs, other than Dholida, are too memorable."

## Track listing

All lyrics are written by Chaitanya Prasad

## Personnel

Credits adapted from Saregama:

## Accolades

Accolades for Gangubai Kathiawadi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) :
| Award | Date of the ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
| Filmfare Awards | 27 April 2023 | Best Music Director | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Nominated | [29] [30] |
| Filmfare Awards | 27 April 2023 | Best Lyricist | A. M. Turaz for "Jab Saiyaan" | Nominated | [29] [30] |
| Filmfare Awards | 27 April 2023 | Best Female Playback Singer | Janhvi Shrimankar for "Dholida" | Nominated | [29] [30] |
| Filmfare Awards | 27 April 2023 | Best Female Playback Singer | Shreya Ghoshal for "Jab Saiyaan" | Nominated | [29] [30] |
| Filmfare Awards | 27 April 2023 | R. D. Burman Award | Janhvi Shrimankar for "Dholida" | Won | [29] [30] |
| Filmfare Awards | 27 April 2023 | Best Background Score | Sanchit Balhara, Ankit Balhara | Won | [29] [30] |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 26–27 May 2023 | Best Music Director | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Nominated | [31] [32] [33] |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 26–27 May 2023 | Best Lyricist | A. M. Turaz for "Jab Saiyaan" | Nominated | [31] [32] [33] |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 26–27 May 2023 | Best Female Playback Singer | Shreya Ghoshal for "Jab Saiyaan" | Nominated | [31] [32] [33] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Album of the Year (Listeners' Choice) | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Song of the Year (Listeners' Choice) | "Dholida" | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Album of the Year | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Song of the Year | "Jab Saiyaan" | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Song of the Year | "Dholida" | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Female Vocalist of the Year | Shreya Ghoshal for "Jab Saiyaan" | Won | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Female Vocalist of the Year | Neeti Mohan for "Meri Jaan" | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Female Vocalist of the Year | Janhvi Shrimankar for "Dholida" | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Music Composer of the Year | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Won | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Lyricist of the Year | A. M. Turaz for "Jab Saiyaan" | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Best Song Producer – Programming & Arranging | Shail Hada for "Jab Saiyaan" | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Best Song Producer – Programming & Arranging | Shail Hada for "Dholida" | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Best Song Engineer – Recording & Mixing | Tanay Gajjar, Kunal Dabholkar for "Jab Saiyaan" | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 3 November 2023 | Best Background Music Score | Sanchit Balhara, Ankit Balhara | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| Zee Cine Awards | 26 February 2023 | Best Music Director | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Nominated | [36] [37] [38] [39] |
| Zee Cine Awards | 26 February 2023 | Best Lyricist | A. M. Turaz for "Jab Saiyaan" | Nominated | [36] [37] [38] [39] |
| Zee Cine Awards | 26 February 2023 | Best Female Playback Singer | Shreya Ghoshal for "Jab Saiyaan" | Nominated | [36] [37] [38] [39] |
| Reel Awards | 26 February 2023 | Best Music | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Nominated | [40] [41] |
| Reel Awards | 26 February 2023 | Best Female Playback Singer | Neeti Mohan for "Meri Jaan" | Nominated | [40] [41] |