I never write movie reviews. But yesterday, I have seen this brilliance called Gully Boy which makes me write this review.
I’m a fan of hard-hitting movies like Whiplash ( 2014) . And to be honest, I never expected a movie like this in India, but I’m happy that I’ve been proved wrong.
This movie has been directed by Zoya Akhtarwho has an impressive lineup like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Dil Dhadakne Do, these movies were great, but far from reality. I never expected her to pull off a movie close to reality like this, and she did an amazing job.
I don’t want to reveal the story line or copy-paste the synopsis from Wikipedia. To keep it short, this movie is about a ‘Gully Boy’ who wants to beat the odds and prove the society wrong. He wants to stand for his passion. This movie also shows a wonderful love story, the beautiful mother-son bond and also some great tales of friendship. It also shows the huge contrast between the huge skyscrapers of Mumbai and the congested slums of Mumbai.
Cast:
Ranveer Singh
This man shines! After a cringe-worthy performance in Simmba, he shows his brilliance as Murad, an aspiring rapper who wants to make it big. He makes you laugh, he makes you cry and most importantly, he makes you think. I am sure he might have put a lot of efforts to ace rapping. You might see a reflection of yourself in Ranveer’s character. This is by far his best performance.
Alia Bhatt
This is a comparatively small role for her. We have seen her performance graph shooting up in the past few years, add Gully Boy to that. She delivers what is expected from her. She’s definitely a star in the making.
Siddhant Chaturvedi
This guy has an important role and he will impress you for sure. Earlier I had seen him in Amazon Prime’s Inside Edge in which he did a good job, but his performance as MC Sher was too good.
Vijay Raaz
The ever amazing Vijay Raaz does it again. This guy aces any kind of role, be it comedy, serious or even sentimental ones. I wish to see more of him in Bollywood.
Apart from these 4, other actors like Kalki Koechlin, Vijay Varma and Amruta Subhash were also great.
Other aspects:
Music:
The soundtrack of this movie is an eye opener to people like me who think Indian rap is all about `chicks`, cars and booze. The lyrics hit you hard, the music is pleasing and there are two poems in this movie written by Javed Akhtar which are beautiful.
Direction:
Zoya Akhtar would leave a lasting impression with her direction. She has always been impressive as a writer and director, but she takes it to the next level with this movie. The way she’s managed to weave in multiple interesting sub-plots within the major theme of hip-hop is wonderful.
Rating: 4/5
Final Word: BAHUT HARD