Directed by preternaturally talented Zoya Akhtar, who has previously entertained us multiple times with gems like Luck By Chance(2009), Zindagi Na ...read more
Directed by preternaturally talented Zoya Akhtar, who has previously entertained us multiple times with gems like Luck By Chance(2009), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), and Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), has just given us a masterpiece in the form of Gully Boy. With two years into making, based on the lives of famous rappers Divine & Naezy, and starring with Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles, everyone had high expectations from the movie. But, this movie not only surpasses our expectations but also entertains us along with giving us scenes to hoot, whistle, and clap. But, the difference that sets the genius of makers & the craft of the cast apart is that for the first time the audience is not clapping for a typical Bollywood action hero or a romantic hero, instead, they are hooting for the so called “underdog” street boy rappers. Gully Boy is a coming of age movie that traces the struggles, challenges and trials faced by a poor aspiring rap artist from the slums of Dharavi and it uncovers the hard-hitting realities of the lives of the underprivileged slum dwellers. The movie brilliantly showcases the triumph of passion, honesty, determination, and grit over the corrupt system, extremely challenging situations, and the negative suppressed notions ingrained in the psychology of poor people. By creating a beautiful marriage between the raciness of the musical hip hop theme and the hard hitting realities that life imposes upon the poor slum dwellers, the film touches your heart deeply by filling you with positivity.The first scenes itself introduces us with vagabond yet endearing characters played by Ranveer Singh, Vijay Verma, and Siddhant Chaturvedi. Although the plot is woven around the grimness of poverty that exists in the underbelly of Mumbai that may be hard to digest for a section of audience in the initial scenes, but as soon as the movie introduces the fresh & novel concept of hip-hop, rap songs, and poetry, this very grim backdrop gives the movie a strong sense of realism and establishes a connection with the audience. This connection not only makes the movie an entertaining watch, but also carries you along into a journey which envelopes you with the mind of a talented aspiring rap artist who fights against all odds to achieve his dream. One of the many aspects that make the movie special is its background music that has been created with remarkable authenticity and finally gives us groovy rap songs that don’t entice the audience by objectifying women and glorifying alcoholism. But, the life of the movie lies in its impeccable performances as the star cast is just as magnificent on screen as they as on paper. Alia Bhatt gives yet another exceptional performance as she provides the much needed comic reliefs through her fantastic dialogue delivery; Kalki Koechlin brings the required amount of class and sophistication to her urban character, and the supporting cast including Vijaay Raaz, Amruta Subhash, Sheeba Chaddha, & Vijay Maurya spoof in life into the film with brilliant renditions of their respective characters. But the three strongest pillars of the film are the engaging story of the protagonist, the thought provoking screenplay and dialogues, and another extraordinary performance by Mr. Ranveer Singh A.K.A the new Rap Star. This guy is just unstoppable and has arguably become the best performer among this generation of actors. Ranveer had already proved himself to be a rare combination of an energetic, likeable star and a skilled actor through his previous performances, but this time he has infused humungous amount of effort for singing hip hop rap songs like a pro and once again he uses his unique linguistic skills for capturing the accent of a street smart slum boy. Overall, his portrayal of the character is extremely praiseworthy as he imbues a captivating innocence and honesty to his character named Murad. Yet again, he instills so much energy in the rap battles, stage performances, and catchy hip hop songs that it can impart goose bumps to some professional rappers of Bollywood also. The movie also displays the artistry involved behind the creativity involved in rap songs as it shows the fantastic & heart-touching scenes that depict poetry and prose writing that goes into the making of a rap song.The underground hip-hop scenes of Mumbai shown will remind you of the Hollywood movie named 8 Mile that starred Eminem and at the same time it sheds light on the financial constraints, family fights, and gruesome struggles that the poor people have to deal with. The cinematography creates a perfect fusion of entertainment, meaningful scenes, drama, and conveys the inspirational message by giving a toast of hope to the destitute gully boys of India by making them believe that they can overcome destiny to achieve their dreams. Finally, we have a Bollywood movie that does not glorify poverty to attain sympathy for making the movie a success like it happened in Slumdog Millionaire, Salaam Bombay, and many other films in the past. Instead, it empowers the poor by showcasing them as people with integrity, heart, spirit, ethics, capability, ambitions, and fighting ability. So, gone are the days when our movies needed to show beautiful foreign locations and richness of NRI’s in order to be successful as the era has come in which we are being presented with untold and realistic stories that reside within the streets, towns, and villages of India.Kudos to Zoya Akhtar & team for imparting justice to this serious concept while still managing to give audience a good time and a double thumbs up for Ranveer Singh for daring to venture out of mainstream commercial cinema and giving us a character that will forever be cherished as India’s first rap superstar for ages to come. So punter log, go for this movie and have a good time as it will make you believe that no matter what may come but “APNA TIME AAYEGA”.
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