After Inshallah got shelved, Sanjay Leela Bhansali offered Alia Bhatt a new film titled Gangubai. For the uninitiated, the movie is a biopic based on the life of Gangubai Kathiawadi, a brothel owner and matriarch. The film is adapted from the book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai written by Hussain Zaidi. The announcement was made by SLB's Twitter page with a caption, "A name you've heard, a story you haven't. Directed by #SanjayLeelaBhansali starring @aliaa08 in and as #GangubaiKathiawadi Bhansali Productions and @PenMovies bring you this powerful story on 11th Sept, 2020!"

Now, Alia took to her Instagram page and shared a photo of the vanity van in which Gangubai is written. This means the actor has finally kickstarted the shoot of her forthcoming film helmed by Bhansali. Alia captioned the photo stating, "Look what Santa gave me this year"

Earlier it was reported that Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been considered to play the titular role in Gangubai. Confirming the same, SLB told earlier, "I love the story, it’s been with me for long and I’m keen to make the film. Priyanka and I are in talks."

While talking about the male lead, it was rumoured that Ajay Devgn is being considered for it. A source told Bollywood Hungama, "Last week, Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Leela Bhansali met at Anand Pandit’s Diwali party and chatted for hours. They caught up on a lot of stuff and that’s when SLB also invited him over to his office. Ajay dropped in a couple of days after that and they had a meeting for more than a couple of hours. Bhansali offered him two scripts – a biopic and the other fictional, a love story, which is said to be Baiju Bawra. In Baiju Bawra the actor was offered the role of Tansen. Ajay liked his role in Gangubai as it’s an intense character – a mobster with a golden heart who teaches Gangubai the tricks of the trade and falls in love with her."

Gangubai is releasing on September 11, 2020.