‘Gully Boy’- what's the first thing that will come to your mind after hearing the name of this film? The trailer made it pretty clear that it would be a story of an underdog chasing his dream. The hype was overwhelming and 'Apna Time Aayega’ set the tone of the film much before its release. Zoya Akhtar's ‘Gully Boy’ tried introducing a genuine story on hip-hop style music with Dharavi in the background. However, the movie is not only about Hip Hop; rather it's a magical story that tugs at your heart. You will enjoy every bit of this movie even if you have no idea of Hip Hop music and there are several reasons behind it (you will get to know it only when you watch the movie).
The theme of this film will overwhelm you. You will never get bored or distracted from the screen as there are many layers to this film. This movie presents an overcrowded place of Mumbai, Dharavi, where the protagonist Murad (Ranveer Singh) dreams to achieve something big in his life. Murad (the name has been chosen so intelligently) has to face several obstacles to reach his dream, and he gets no help from the people around him except from his lover Safeena (Alia Bhatt). Murad is challenged with the concept of 'Naukar ka beta Naukar hi banega,’ and the film tells you about his journey to dispel this misconception with his deeds.ou about his journey to dispel this misconception with his deeds.
Interestingly, the surrounding of Murad helps him to grow as a rapper and all his emotions are depicted in the lyrics he keeps on humming throughout the film. Siddhant Chaturvedi (M. C. Sher), who played the role of Murad’s mentor, is a revelation. The chemistry between Sher and Murad is one of the highlights of the film.
Safeena, who hails from a conservative Muslim family, is adorable. She holds her ground in spite of the numerous obstacles of the society to continue her relationship with Murad. The viewers will certainly love watching her character in this film as she is ready to do anything for her love. Alia Bhatt is refining herself with every film, and this film should be one of the top films in her career after Raazi. The chemistry between Murad and Safeena was top notch, and the viewers will certainly wish to watch this pair more in the upcoming days.
Murad’s father Aftab (Vijay Raaz) also has an influential role in Murad's journey to become a rap star. Aftab wants his son to follow his path and never gives any sort of encouragement to Murad to achieve his dream. The weakest link of the movie is the character of Kalki Koechlin as this is the only character of the film that is not well developed. However, Kalki gave her 100% to look presentable in the film. The sidekicks in the movie have also done a decent job.
Although the plot of the movie was predictable; the screenplay of Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti keeps the viewers hooked throughout the film. Zoya Akhtar previously directed some great movies like 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’and 'Dil Dhadkane Do’; however, this seems to be her best film till date. Zoya Akhtar has been able to portray the heart of an overcrowded place like ‘Dharavi.’ This film will tell you a story of real Mumbai, and it will show that Mumbai is not only about ‘Marine Drive’ or ‘Gateway of India.’
The cinematography of this film has been excellent. There are many night shots, and no artificial lights have been used to set a bright tone for the film. The music of the movie is certainly the heart of this film. The film is based on the true life events of two rap artists Naezy and Divine. So, the music had to play an important role in this movie. The spirited performance of Ranveer Singh with his meaningful lyrics kept the pace of the movie. The film is a bit lengthy as the running time of the film is almost 2 hours and 36 minutes. Whenever you will feel distracted from the film, there will be something happening on the screen which will pull you back in the film.
Our Verdict:
‘Gully Boy’ is a must watch for every movie lover as it can be considered as one of the benchmarks in the history of progressive Indian films. Ranveer Singh completely justified his role in the film, and the audience will surely be able to relate with his character. If you are a fan of Ranveer Singh or Alia Bhatt, you must have already watched this film; however, if you still haven’t watched it then book your tickets for sure. This movie is not worth missing!
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Our Rating: 4.0/5.0
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Movie: Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Writers: Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Vasundhara Koshy (Script Supervisor), Vijay Maurya (Dialogue)
Stars: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Raaz
Release Date: 14th Feb 2019
Run-time: 2:33 Hrs
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