Alia Bhatt had recently announced that she wanted to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali since she was a child. The actress was close to her dream when Sanjay Leela Bhansali announced her as the lead actress in Inshallah opposite Salman Khan.

However Salman Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali did not collaborate for Inshallah, and the movie was put on hold. Meanwhile Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions announced that Alia Bhatt would soon appear in another movie, which is now titled 'Gangubai Kathiawadi'.

"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! All India distribution by #PenMarudhar," announced Bhansali Productions on Twitter.

Earlier news reports suggested that Priyanka Chopra was originally being considered for the role, but since Bhansali and Alia wanted to collaborate for a film, they found the right script in Gangubai. Latest news reports stated that Kartik Aaryan might also be considered as the male lead for the project.