There’s a thing about feel-good musicals. It’s really hard for them to go wrong. This is especially true if the music is just as good as the storyline that has been envisioned.
That is absolutely the case with Gully Boy – a film that thrives on a solid storyline, catchy music and powerful performances. It is comfortably the finest Bollywood movie of 2019 so far.
And yet one can also argue that it brings forth that age-old tale of a boy striving to fight off poverty with his talent – in this case rapping. Underdog stories do tend to be predictable. However, their effect is gauged by just how much you’re cheering the protagonist on.
Murad Ahmed (Ranveer Singh) is a young boy with big dreams. There are even bigger obstacles standing in his way, en route to their fulfilment.
There’s a scene which lays the foundation for the realization of Murad’s dreams, when he catches a glimpse of himself while chauffeuring a car. He realizes that this is not what he wants, and takes off with the intent to change his reality.
Gully Boy is about taking charge of your own life and make it fit your dreams,while there also happens to be a stereotypical South Asian father who keeps reaffirming the contrary.
Gully Boy centers around Murad’s struggle in Mumbai, wherein the higher classes frowns upon those lower on the economic pecking order.But the film’s true beauty lies in every character narrating an intriguing story.
It’s almost as if an array of different storylines has been merged into one tale, with the sole task of touching the chords of your heart. That’s how the movie makes room for dysfunctional marriages and offspring dealing with drunkard, irresponsible fathers.
From the commercial aspect, of course, it was always going to be important to have romance in one of the subplots. Enter Safeena (Ali Bhatt), Murad’s girlfriend.
Safeena knows what she wants in life and has the determination needed to succeed. She is fierce,even short tempered – somebody nobody can mess with. She has layers which can give the impression that the character lacks balance,but the filmmakers (of course) would argue that Safeena is multi-layered.
Gully Boy is inspired by real life experiences of rappers Naezy and Divine, and of course, does take the liberties that one would expect from a film – a Bollywood one at that!
Considering that there are so many of what one could dub traditional Bollywood elements in it, what makes Gully Boy stand out?
For one there is the emotional coefficient.
However, it is Ranveer Singh’s acting that is perhaps the driving force that takes the film towards promised land. And in playing the streetfighter, which he quite often personally embodies, Ranveer adds yet another feather to his ever expanding cap of versatile roles, making him truly ablockbusting superstar of the current generation.
While Ranveer Singh would deservedly get all the plaudits, Alia Bhatt is typically brilliant as well. However, the limitations of her role don’t allow her to portray her entire repertoire.
As discussed above, the film’s soundtrack is absolutely top-drawer. There is an entire collection of tracks that would leave their impact for a long time. Naezy and Divine, along with a number of other artists, add the necessary musical impetus to the film. However, what truly makes the music stand out is its authenticity and relevance.
Perhaps Gully Boy could have been edited better, which would have resulted in a sharper run-time. But the filmmakers do enough to keep you gripped throughout the two hours and thirty minutes of cinematic experience.
That is absolutely the case with Gully Boy – a film that thrives on a solid storyline, catchy music and powerful performances. It is comfortably the finest Bollywood movie of 2019 so far.
And yet one can also argue that it brings forth that age-old tale of a boy striving to fight off poverty with his talent – in this case rapping. Underdog stories do tend to be predictable. However, their effect is gauged by just how much you’re cheering the protagonist on.
Murad Ahmed (Ranveer Singh) is a young boy with big dreams. There are even bigger obstacles standing in his way, en route to their fulfilment.
There’s a scene which lays the foundation for the realization of Murad’s dreams, when he catches a glimpse of himself while chauffeuring a car. He realizes that this is not what he wants, and takes off with the intent to change his reality.
Gully Boy is about taking charge of your own life and make it fit your dreams,while there also happens to be a stereotypical South Asian father who keeps reaffirming the contrary.
Gully Boy centers around Murad’s struggle in Mumbai, wherein the higher classes frowns upon those lower on the economic pecking order.But the film’s true beauty lies in every character narrating an intriguing story.
It’s almost as if an array of different storylines has been merged into one tale, with the sole task of touching the chords of your heart. That’s how the movie makes room for dysfunctional marriages and offspring dealing with drunkard, irresponsible fathers.
From the commercial aspect, of course, it was always going to be important to have romance in one of the subplots. Enter Safeena (Ali Bhatt), Murad’s girlfriend.
Safeena knows what she wants in life and has the determination needed to succeed. She is fierce,even short tempered – somebody nobody can mess with. She has layers which can give the impression that the character lacks balance,but the filmmakers (of course) would argue that Safeena is multi-layered.
Gully Boy is inspired by real life experiences of rappers Naezy and Divine, and of course, does take the liberties that one would expect from a film – a Bollywood one at that!
Considering that there are so many of what one could dub traditional Bollywood elements in it, what makes Gully Boy stand out?
For one there is the emotional coefficient.
However, it is Ranveer Singh’s acting that is perhaps the driving force that takes the film towards promised land. And in playing the streetfighter, which he quite often personally embodies, Ranveer adds yet another feather to his ever expanding cap of versatile roles, making him truly ablockbusting superstar of the current generation.
While Ranveer Singh would deservedly get all the plaudits, Alia Bhatt is typically brilliant as well. However, the limitations of her role don’t allow her to portray her entire repertoire.
As discussed above, the film’s soundtrack is absolutely top-drawer. There is an entire collection of tracks that would leave their impact for a long time. Naezy and Divine, along with a number of other artists, add the necessary musical impetus to the film. However, what truly makes the music stand out is its authenticity and relevance.
Perhaps Gully Boy could have been edited better, which would have resulted in a sharper run-time. But the filmmakers do enough to keep you gripped throughout the two hours and thirty minutes of cinematic experience.