Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has launched a campaign for the nomination of his film Gangubai Kathiawadi under different categories at the upcoming British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA).

As part of the campaign, the Alia Bhatt-starrer will be submitted for BAFTA members’ consideration in different categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Leading Actress and Best Film Not in the English Language.

Speaking about the film and the love that is still pouring in, Bhansali said, “We are immensely blessed to have received so much appreciation for our film globally and we’re very excited to be part of the conversation this awards season amongst BAFTA voters”.

Gangubai Kathiawadi, which had its World Premiere at the 72nd Berlinale International Film Festival in February earlier this year, landed at No.1 spot in the Non-English Film category on Netflix in the first week of its OTT release. The film also featured among the Top-10 trending movies in more than 25 countries for several weeks. It has become the second most viewed non-English language film on the streamer globally to date.

Gangubai Kathiawadi was added to the official screening calendar for BAFTA voting members in October. Bhansali will be visiting the British capital for numerous events to support the campaign. Bhansali’s Devdas, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, was previously nominated at the 56th BAFTA Awards as the Best Foreign Language Film.

“It is a great honour to take Gangubai Kathiawadi to the world stage and it gives me nothing but joy to be on this journey with Sanjay Sir. The world has shown the film a lot of love and appreciation and we are excited to receive this love in the UK as well,” said Alia, who plays the titular role in the film.

The 76th British Academy Film Awards will take place at the Royal Festival Hall in London in February 2023.