The story is told against a backdrop of Mumbai’s diverse cityscape, from high-rises to slum cities like Dharavi, which is obviously not uncommon for a Bollywood film. Zoya Akhtar has done a phenomenal job, as per usual, with the same sense for style with which we are accustomed. Writing in the film was generally very strong, with a couple moments of dialogue that could have done with being a little less clunky but an overall very, very strong piece of work. Her’s was the facet I enjoyed least in the film, but it was more than made up for by a glimmering chemistry between her and Murad. Alia does a fantastic job, but her character has a little more edge than I was comfortable with. To be frank, had it not been for the purity and strength of their characters’ relationship, I don’t imagine I would’ve much liked Safeena’s character. Relationships, particularly that between Alia and Ranveer’s characters, are pressure pointed with expertise. A lot of times you’ll see even the best of narrative intentions squandered by way of trying to hold too much not, however, in this situation. Gully Boy is a dense film, there’s a lot happening with a lot of threads. The film does an excellent job of juggling it all too. Credit goes, naturally, to the writers and director as well, for fleshing out an entire spectrum of rounded, developed characters, but good writing has been wasted in the past and this was not an example of that.
From Siddhant Chaturvedi (MC Sher) to Ikhlaque Khan, the entirety of this cast deserves the highest applause for a phenomenal display of acting ability. Ranveer Singh is extraordinary, truly, but it’s not just him and Alia Bhatt that deserve recognition. However, I honestly did not imagine witnessing such a broad and quality showing from an ensemble cast from this industry. Strong individual performances aren’t an uncommon occurrence. I had, until this point, more or less given up on the idea of Bollywood delivering a truly good ensemble performance in the foreseeable future. Not my favorite Zoya Akhtar film, ZNMD is still king of the hill for me, but there is absolutely no denying that this is a very, very good film. My expectations were very high, and were absolutely met by a film that positively oozes character, flair, and energy.
The lady made ZNMD, which is the equivalent of a rubber stamp saying “will definitely watch whatever she makes.” I saw the trailer and was excited, however, it took me till last week to actually get a chance to watch it, for which I got a lot of flack (deserved, of course). Zoya Akhtar is one of the few highest quality filmmakers in Bollywood at the moment, attested to by the fact that I’m writing a Bollywood review (shocking, I know). I was very much looking forward to this film. The film has been met with largely strong positive critical response, and has taken Bollywood by storm both as a film and as a soundtrack. The film is based loosely on a true story, that of two underground artists from Mumbai, Divine and Naezy, and stars Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, and Kalki Koechlin among others.
A rap and hip hop lover, Murad “Gully Boy” Ahmed makes his way in the musical industry from Dharavi slum in Mumbai, India. Directed by the illustrious Zoya Akhtar, Gully Boy is the story of a passionate young man, Murad Ahmaed (portrayed by Ranveer Singh).