Alia Bhatt strikes the Gangubai Kathiawadi pose at her third Berlin Film Festival appearance. See pics from red carpet

Actor Alia Bhatt is in Berlin for the premiere of her upcoming movie, Gangubai Kathiawadi. This is Alia’s third time at the Berlin Film Festival. She previously represented her films Highway and Gully Boy there.

Photos from the red carpet event show Alia in a white dress, posing against the famed sky blue backdrop. She wore a white jacket with large collar and a skirt underneath. She has been exclusively wearing white throughout the film’s promotions. Alia tied her hair in a ponytail and wore large pearl earrings. At the premiere, Alia also struck the Gangubai pose, joining her hands in ‘namaste’ high above her head with her back to the camera.

Alia is joined by her sister Shaheen Bhatt at the festival. The two left for Germany earlier this week.

Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film is about the madam of a brothel who rises to power in the Kamathipura neighbourhood of Mumbai. The film also stars Ajay Devgn in a special appearance. Vijay Raaz played Alia’s nemesis in the movie.

Also read: Alia shares her 10 year plan which includes ‘may be not always starring in film’

In an interview with Variety, Sanjay spoke about Alia’s character Gangubai, “The women who are weak, who are lost in this big bad world–this is a woman who’s fought for them. It’s about empowering all these women and saying whatever you are, accept what you are. And I like that thought a lot where she says: ‘If you’re a teacher or you’re a professor or you’re a doctor or engineer, then I’m a prostitute. And accept me the way I am, accept my profession, because this profession is not going anywhere. We are the fringe of society but we want to be accepted in society, because society will not be able to function without prostitution, it will always be there’. That belief in herself and that fight for dignity is what fascinated me.”

This is Sanjay’s first film with Alia Bhatt. He has previously delivered films such as Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Bajirao Mastani, Saawariya, Padmaavat and others.