The tinsel town of Bollywood is buzzing with a lot of rumours regarding filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next Gangubai. While Alia Bhatt is almost confirmed to essay the title role, some insiders reveal that Ranveer Singh will make a cameo appearance in the movie. The duo was last seen together in Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy (2019) which has been selected as India's official entry for 92nd Oscars.
However, if a report published on a popular entertainment portal is to be believed, these rumours are untrue as Singh has not agreed to do a cameo in the film. The actor has not even been approached for a role in Gangubai.
“Alia’s film with SLB has never had Ranveer in the mix. So, there is no question of him doing a cameo in this project. SLB and Ranveer are the most loved, most successful and most acclaimed director-actor combinations of this era. The trade and audience are waiting in anticipation to know when they will join forces again,” a source close to the development reveals.
For the unversed, Gangubai is based on the life of a woman who worked in the red-light area of Kamathipura, Mumbai. Named Gangubai Kothewali, she was forced into prostitution at an early age and then went onto become a notorious gangster. Gangubai is said to have transformed the lives of many women in the flesh trade.
The film Gangubai is going to be the replacement of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Inshallah which got shelved after superstar Salman Khan exited the project at the last moment. Alia Bhatt was set to play the female lead in Inshallah. However, when the film got stalled, Bhansali offered Gangubai to Bhatt.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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