Friday 15 February 2019

Gully Boy~ For the youth and the young at heart


Director- Zoya Akhtar
Writer - Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti
Cast- Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Raaz

Gully Boy trailer started with an underground rap battle where a rapper says, ‘Ye gali ki barat nahi, teri koyi aukaat nahi is jung main’ followed by another rapper telling a nervous Ranveer Singh to go back to his gully.

Gully Boy is the story of the rise of a shy and underprivileged student, Murad Sheikh into a confident hip hop performer, Gully Boy.
The film is based on the lives of rappers Naezy and Divine, who have also given music in the film.
Murad wants an established rapper, MC Sher played by Siddhant Chaturvedi to sing his songs as he was not comfortable in front of an audience. MC Sher tells him that “Agar duniya mein sab comfortable hote toh rap kaun karta?” which inspires Murad to break the belief that ‘Naukar ka beta naukar banega, ye fitrat hai’

In a scene Murad’s father played by Vijay Raaz tells him that sapne apni sacchai ke hisab se dekhne chahiye and Murad tells him that instead of changing his dreams he will change his social status.

Director, Zoya Akhtar in her most realistic film till now takes us to the slums of Dharavi where people live in small houses. The contrast between the poor and rich is shown when Ranveer realises that the bathroom of a rich girl ‘s apartment was bigger than his full home.
Gully Boy is as hard as it gets.
The struggle, the pain is shown in a subtle way but Ranveer Singh with his hard hitting performance makes it sure that you will keep thinking about the lives of these people long after the film has ended.
As per  the film's lingo, Ranveer Singh as Murad is 'Ek Number', Bahut Hard. Within 5 minutes he has totally transformed himself into Murad who obediently follows his parents wishes. Music gives him the fire to follow his dreams.
Siddhant Chaturvedi as MC Sher has given an equally mind blowing performance. This is his debut film but he wasn't overshadowed by Ranveer Singh in any scene.
Alia Bhatt as Murad’s possessive girlfriend, Safina is the force behind him. She is his support system. She wants Murad to follow his heart. This film was totally a Ranveer Singh film, still Alia Bhatt has managed to leave her impact.
The film is not a mass entertainer and family audiences may get bored with the hip hop parts but it should be seen for the hardships & struggles faced by the less privileged.
Apna Time Ayega is already a chart buster but when I saw it in the film, it was filled with so much energy that it gave me goosebumps.
The film was released in 3300 screens and has got an opening of 18 Crores which is good considering it targeted a niche audience.
Gully Boy will not make as much as Ranveer Singh’s last masala film, Simmba (240 Crores) but it will definitely be remembered for his effortless performance both as an actor and a rapper.

In a line, Gully Boy is Zoya Akhtar's most honest and hard hitting film and is a must watch for Ranveer Singh’s fans and music lovers.

Good one time watch in theatres.