Starring Ranveer Singh as the troubled Murad, who channels his miserable life in Dharavi to his love for music, the film is a must-watch.
Everyone loves a success story, which is why they are common to the screen. Stories of achieving the impossible aren’t uncommon; every once in a while there is a narrative that follows a story of struggle and consequent success. It may be a cli, but it always works; every rags to riches story leaves an impact whether it is small or huge. Bollywood also has a list of inspirational films that highlight success stories; the most recent being the Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan starrer Sui Dhaaga (2018) in which the two struggle together to achieve their dreams.
Latest to the list is Gully Boy that follows the life of an ordinary young man Murad, essayed by Ranveer Singh, who resides in Dharavi, a huge part of Mumbai better known as the largest slum in the world. Born to extreme poverty and struggle, Murad grows up on a regular dose of music, rap to be exact, and turns to poetry as his catharsis. A freak friendship with a successful fellow rapper, Sheru, shows him the way to his true calling. He defies the odds and follows his heart, vulnerable and yet confident of his future as a rapper.
The film isn’t just a story of struggle and success; it is more a story of survival. It isn’t a rags to riches story rather the story of survival in a poverty-stricken place, of battling with the city’s socio-economic fabric that weighs down on the dreams of those below poverty line.
Ranveer Singh nails it as Murad, aka ‘Gully Boy’. From his love life to handling family disputes, from rap battles to roaming the streets, he is immersed in the character and is irreplaceable in the role. Alia Bhatt as his possessive and aggressive childhood sweetheart kills it as Safeena. One actor who simply steals the show is Siddhant Chaturvedi who enthralls viewers as MC Sher, Murad’s biggest supporter and mentor. Vijay Raaz as Murad’s father and Kalki Koechlin as the other girl are impressive too.
The film takes a closer look at street life in Mumbai, comparing it to the lives of those residing on the other side of the bridge. It also points out ways in which people resemble each other, no matter what social strata they belong to, highlighting where all of us connect on a human level and what our inner struggles are.
Taking inspiration from the lives of Indian rappers Divine (Vivian Fernandes) and Naezy (Naved Shaikh), Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy reminds one of 8 Mile, uncomfortably so at times. It holds resemblance to multiple scenes in the latter, particularly rap battles, but even then, the film is a must-watch.
The characters, the treatment, the cinematography, the content, the dialogues and above all, the performances are worth watching.
