Shantanu Maheshwari made his big screen debut with Gangubai Kathiawadi, which starred Alia Bhatt in the lead role. The choreographer-turned-actor won several hearts with his impactful performance in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-helmed film. Gangubai Kathiawadi crossed and minted over 100 crores of business in the domestic market and is one of the most applauded movies worldwide. The movie was also touted to rank number 1 on Netflix, trending in more than 10 countries worldwide. Speaking to IndiaToday. exclusively, Shantanu shared what the movie’s success meant to him.
Mumbai ki kottha b̶h̶a̶i̶ bai vacchindhani cheppandi. Gangubai Kathiawadi, now streaming on Netflix in Telugu. pic.twitter.com/OelbvWLH8C
— Netflix India South (@Netflix_INSouth) April 26, 2022
Shantanu told us, “It feels amazing. It is overwhelming. Your first film and that with Sanjay Sir and, more importantly, two and a half years of making this project, fighting wave after wave, cyclone, so I know the kind of effort and energy that has gone behind to make sure the project gets the deserved space, Gangubai deserves the adulation and space it deserves. I am very happy that it is not just the Indian audience that has loved the movie, it is worldwide. I am happy to be a part of a project like this which has brought a change to bring people back to the theatres.”
Shantanu also shared that Gangubai has made people look at him differently and more seriously. “Things have changed by leaps and bounds. Yes, people have started taking me more seriously in terms of acting. They knew earlier that I could act, but now, they have seen Gangubai and they know I can hold the screen. It is a big change that has happened to me, substantial roles are being offered and I am so happy,” he added.
