Bollywood / Ajay to play don Karim Lala in 'Gangubai Kathiawadi': Reports

Bollywood Desk: Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, who was speculated to play Mumbai's infamous don Karim Lala in the Alia Bhatt starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi, will join the shoot from today, it was confirmed.

The recent teaser launch of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's powerful big-screen character of Gangubai, portrayed by Bhatt, has created massive buzz and much anticipation for the film.

After much speculation, it was confirmed that the Tanhaji star would be seen playing a significant role in this stem-winding story, joining the Gangubai Kathiawadi team today at a grand set erected in Mumbai.

Besides bringing Devgn and Bhatt together, the film also celebrates his reunion with Bhansali after 22 years. Their earlier outing was the memorable Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

Devgn will reportedly essay the role of Karim Lala who was also Gangubai's "rakhi brother."

Karim Lala was one of the three "mafia dons of Mumbai" alongside Mastan Mirza aka Haji Mastan and Varadarajan Mudaliar. He reigned the Maximum City from the sixties to the early eighties.

When Gangubai was brutally raped by a gangster, leaving her invalid for days, she approached his boss, who happened to be Lala.

She met him after his Friday prayers and shared her ordeal. Lala trashed her tormenter and issued a warning against anyone harming her.

Based on the book 'Mafia Queens of Mumbai' by S Hussain Zaidi, the film showcases the rise of a girl named Gangubai Kothewali, a brothel owner and matriarch from Kathiawad who had no choice but to embrace the ways of destiny and swing it in her favour.

The project, which marks the first collaboration between Bhansali and Bhatt, will also see Bhansali Productions collaborating with Jayantilal Gada's Pen India Limited. The movie is scheduled to hit the big screen on July 30, 2021.