Gangubai Kathiawadi: Vijay Raaz as transwoman draws mixed reactions; some say trans people don’t get hired for roles

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By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

February 5, 2022 - 8:03 PM IST

A day ago, the much-awaited trailer of Gangubai Kathiawadi starring Alia Bhatt was unveiled. Helmed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film is one of the highly anticipated films of the year. It also stars Seema Pahwa, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh, and Shantanu Maheshwari in pivotal. While overwhelming praises came their way, Vijay Raaz essaying the role of a transwoman sparked debate.

Gangubai Kathiawadi: Vijay Raaz as transwoman draws mixed reactions; some say trans people don’t get hired for roles

From the few seconds in the trailer, it has been understood that Vijay Raaz plays the role of a transwoman Raziabai who is in competition with Gangubai on who is the real queen of Kamathipura. In those few seconds, the veteran actor grabs enough attention. But, this definitely drew mixed reactions on the internet. While netizens were praising Raaz for his powerful screen presence in those few seconds, some talked about how a heterosexual man gets to play the role of a transwoman but transgender people are rarely hired for these roles.

Since he is a well-liked actor in the industry, many talked about how he is known for his memorable roles. But, in the same way, many pointed out that even if he is an ace actor, transgender people are still a minority, rarely seen in mainstream media, and not even given enough opportunities to play roles written for them.

Loved #GangubaiKathiawadiTrailer and it look very promising but then again another CIS male is playing a trans role. I know Vijay Raj will do it good but this is a pattern in Bollywood from a long time and maybe it's high time to change it.#VijayRaj #GangubaiKathiawadi pic.twitter.com/DkbR2nRDcz
— ????????????????????????????????‍????????‍❤️‍???????? (@optimistclysure) February 4, 2022

Bollywood must stop stealing jobs from trans people! Ashutosh Rana, Akshay Kumar, Vaani Kapoor, Vijay Raaz..the list is long and eww!
— swaty kumar (@SwatyKumar) February 5, 2022

Casting a cisman as a Trans woman and also brazenly making a racist joke, few Hindi filmmakers will never care about the mess they create, but they'll continue hurting communities of the country. 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' is a big shame!@aliaa08 @bhansali_produc
— Sawang Wangchha (@SawangWangchha) February 4, 2022

can bollywood stop casting cis/straight people as transsexual characters please? Its 2022 already and i am pretty sure that there is enough talent in this country where an actual transsexual can portray a transsexual character #GangubaiKathiawadiTrailer pic.twitter.com/uBW60YkWV7
— 〄 (@healmeKR) February 4, 2022

Ummmmmm just realised that Vijay Raaz is playing a Trans Woman in ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ like what is going on Mr. Bhansali? We need answers.
— Pokhraj Roy (@PokhrajRoy) February 4, 2022

Not them casting vijay raaz as a trans woman in gangubai? Bollywood will u ever learn?
— pryanshu // sushi stan account???? (@pryanshuuu) February 4, 2022

Was expecting too much from #GangubaiKathiawadi because of Bhansali sir and Zaidi. But the #GangubaiKathiawadiTrailer looks nothing but a gimmick!
The only great think about this is Vijay Raaz, who killed in his role! ???? pic.twitter.com/yW7sM5YKDc
— Viraj Mahajan (@jarivism) February 4, 2022

The way vijay raaz portrays the character is just brilliant as Raziabai! His entry really gives goosebumps. #VijayRaaz #GangubaiKathiawadi #GangubaiKathiawadiTrailer pic.twitter.com/1MUFT4VDPE
— Resha (@SupremacyAlia) February 4, 2022

Vijay Raaz absolutely nailed it ????????#GangubaiKathiawadiTrailer pic.twitter.com/cmyEU4r0dL
— Usfa (@surkhrooh_) February 4, 2022

Highlight Of #GangubaiKathiawadiTrailer #VijayRaaz pic.twitter.com/98yFLQK02X
— Ｄｈａｎａｎｊａｙａ (@dhananjaya888) February 4, 2022

Meanwhile, Gangubai Kathiawadi has also been selected to be screened at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival in February and will have its world premiere at the festival, to be screened as part of Berlinale Special, a segment of the film festival which is dedicated to showcasing exemplary cinema.

Viacom18 Studios & Paramount Pictures International will be distributing Gangubai Kathiawadi in all International markets outside of India. Produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Dr. Jayantilal Gada (Pen Studios), the film is all set to release theatrically on 25th February 2022.