Ever since the coronvirus pandemic arrived in India a number of big budget films have had to be cancelled from its original date of release or shootings. It looks like Alia Bhatt's upcoming film Gangubai Kathiawadi is also going to face the same fate. As all shoots and releases have been cancelled for an indefinite period, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has reportedly ordered the demolition of the film sets.According to a recent Mid-Day report, director Bhansali has ordered the demolition of the film sets. The reason behind this big decision was because the rent seems higher than the actual construction of the set.
A source told the tabloid, "In March, Bhansali had cleared the payment for the set maintenance. Even when the shutdown was announced, the team had assumed it would delay the schedule only by a month or so. However, with the situation in Mumbai looking grim, it is unlikely that the shoots will resume soon. After a round of number-crunching, it was seen that recreating the set would probably be a cheaper alternative than keeping it standing in these uncertain circumstances, as the latter entails the daily rent that has to be paid to Film City. So, the team has decided to have the set razed to the ground." The production house and the director is yet to confirm the news. Two posters of the film starring Alia were released in January this year and created a massive buzz on social media. For the unversed, this is Bhansali's first outing with Alia Bhatt and stakes are very high for the director and the actor. The film Gangubai Kathiawadi is based on the life of one of the then Bombay’s brothel keeper who life has been written about in Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens Of Mumbai.