Zoya Akhtar has often been criticized that her movies are
focused more on the upper class and rich people’s problems. Not sure if ‘Gully
Boy’ was a conscious attempt to silence that criticism, but the way the movie
captures the lives of the people living in the lower strata of society is a
clear statement that Zoya is a versatile filmmaker who can succeed in making a
movie on this population. ‘Gully Boy’ takes a pretty basic underdog story and
puts it in a very unique setting – the underground rap scene in Mumbai.
‘Gully Boy’ tells the coming of age story of Murad (Ranveer
Singh), a college going youth living in a small house in Dharawi with his
mother (Amruta Subhash), grandmother (Jyothi Subhash) and his father (Vijay
Raaz) who has recently remarried to a much younger woman. He is in a
relationship with the feisty Safeena (Alia Bhatt) who is studying to become a
doctor, and his friends include his college-mate Salman and the shady mechanic
Moin (Vijay Varma). Murad is a fan of rap music and writes poetry in secret.
Murad happens to see a rapper MC Sher (Siddhanth Chaturvedi) perform, and while
stuck chauffeuring on behalf of his injured father, writes down lyrics which he
later showcases in an open mic hosted by Sher. Sher takes Murad under his wing,
and with the help of music student Sky (Kalki Koechlin), they try to make it
big. Murad’s journey, with his troubled relationships and innate desire to lead
a better life and follow his passions, and how he tries to achieve them while
juggling the challenges life throws at him, form the crux of the story.
The direction by Zoya Akhtar is really great here. It is
clear that the makers love Mumbai, and the city is captured in all its at-times
glossy, at-times grimy glory. The stark contrast between the haves and the
have-nots is shrewdly captured without overtly pointing it out through the
glitter, the lights and the camerawork. There are many themes covered in the
movie, but the extremely different lives of the people living in the same city
and the inequities we see in everyday life is a constant one. That being said,
there is no preaching here – the shots are visualized without any judgement,
and the movie points out things without pointing fingers.
The screenplay is pretty good, even though it does not offer
any surprises – it is a straight forward underdog movie. That is not to say it
is not an intelligent movie – some scenes indicating the aforementioned class
disparity are subtle and beautiful, and really make you think. The movie could
have been shorter though, and I felt the subplot with Sky took away from the
movie a bit.
The performances are perfect, and pretty much all the actors
inhabit the character and their lives. Ranveer Singh slips into the skin of
Murad – there is none of the flash we’re used to seeing. Murad is quiet,
reflective, and hides a lot of pain he’s going through. This performance is a
good indicator of Ranveer’s range and versatility. Alia Bhatt is as impressive
as ever. Siddhanth Chaturvedi has a dream debut here. I would be remiss not to
mention Vijay Varma, who is excellent as Moin. Other actors like Vijay Raaz and
Amruta Subhash also perform very well.
And of course, there’s the music. I was not really familiar
with the Mumbai rap scene, and it was a revelation for me. With scathing,
thought-provoking lyrics, the music makes you ponder over issues and takes the
story forward by conveying the characters’ thoughts and emotions. The slower
numbers also work very well. For a movie like this, the music should be an
integral part and would be a key driver for the success of the film, and boy,
does it work!
On the whole, though the pacing falters at times, ‘Gully
Boy’ is a definite recommendation from me.
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