‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ paints an ambivalent picture of sex workers’ rights

Earlier this year, the Bollywood film Gangubai Kathiawadi grabbed headlines for its bold portrayal of sex work in India.

The film, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, has been widely viewed on Netflix and garnered global attention about how sex work isn’t recognized as a profession by law in most societies.

Unlike Bollywood films that portray sex workers as women who ought to be rehabilitated into mainstream society, Gangubai Kathiawadi presents them as a group capable of mobilizing social change.