Shantanu Maheshwari To Play One Of The Leads In Alia Bhatt Starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi?

Dancer turned actor Shantanu Maheshwari, who rose to fame with Channel V show Dil Dosti Dance is said to be roped in for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming directorial, Gangubai Kathiawadi. The film, which went on floors recently, has Alia playing the role of Kamathipura's famous brothel Madam Gangubai who is almost worshipped in the area for the power she held and the social activities she was a part of.

Now, according to a report in Pinkvilla, Shantanu has been finalized to play a prominent part in the dark biography. A source told the portal, “Sanjay Leela Bhansali was looking for a fresh face who would carry that innocence but still be convincing in a dark role. The team had auditioned Shantanu and loved his tape. SLB was also impressed by his performance and he has now officially signed on to play one of the lead roles opposite Alia in the film. He plays the role of Afsan in Gangubai and will kickstart the shoot soon in Mumbai.”

While Alia headlines the film, it has already been reported that Ajay Devgan too plays an important part in the gangster saga. For one of the roles, speculations were rife that Kartik Aaryan has been approached but the production house denied all such claims in a statement.