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‘Gully Boy’ Review: Zoya Akhtar’s ode to gully rap is a goddamn mic drop of a film




When I walked into the theatre compound, I wasn’t sure if the huge crowd for an 8AM show was just Valentine’s couples or gully rap fans. On a closer look, I realised the bantaais were here for a movie they were eagerly waiting for. So was I, particularly after the rave reviews it got at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Suggested Read: Here's why my expectations from ‘Gully Boy’ are sky high after the Berlin Film Festival

The show was housefull; and I know for a fact that the previous one (7.30AM) was too. Pretty much the entire crowd had their phones out, ready to capture the title flash on the screen, an ode to one of their own.

The first scene sets the mood of the streets and Murad’s (Ranveer Singh) background. He is a gully ka chhokra, unabashedly, and helps his bantaais with grand theft auto, putting his conscience aside. But the very next minute, when he trashes the abysmal ‘hip hop’ playing on the stereo, you know he aspires to be something more. Ranveer Singh, stripped of his moustache and swagger, is back to his Band Baaja Baaraat look—that of a raw, vulnerable boy who is trying to find his way. And it suits him.

Murad’s life is in the lanes of Mumbai 17, where you cannot think beyond your ‘aukaat’. But he dreams in hip hop, idolising American rap artists and hiding a cutout of Eminem in the notebook where he writes his own lyrics. You know early on that he has a gift, one which he is constantly told by his family to throw away, in pursuit of a respectable, earning job. Vijay Raaz as his driver father, is brilliant, reminding us that he remains of the more incredible actors in today’s time.


Pulling him up and supporting him is his girlfriend of nine years, Safeena (Alia Bhatt). Like Murad, she has her own dreams of becoming a doctor and starting a practice. Her Muslim family bestows limited freedom on her, but Safeena knows how to tackle them and snatch whatever she is denied. While Murad’s dreams only turn on with the music, Safeena wears her heart on her sleeve. Alia as Safeena is fierce beyond description, and what you’ve seen in the trailer is only the tip of the Safeena iceberg! Her chemistry with Ranveer is crackling. And even before the ‘dhoptoyengi’ dialogue comes, you know she is capable of ‘dhoptoing’ anyone, with an innocent-evil smile on her face.

Giving major Olenna Tyrell from Game of Thrones vibes, literally.

Eliciting the loudest cheers from the crowd for her performance, Alia flies over this movie about rappers and rap songs, like a fiery dragon! Alia Bhatt is a force to reckon with.

India’s rap scene, simmering in these very suppressed aspirations and fighting every oppression, has emerged from the underground and gone international. And that, perhaps, is the most spoiler-free way to sum up Murad’s journey.

A chance meeting with a rapper ushers Murad into the world of underground rap battles. But he’s merely a cub, still ignorant of the laws of this jungle. But fear not, he’s got MC Sher to teach him the ropes. And here’s where I, the Ranveer Singh fangirl, will prove my unbiasedness. Because Siddhant Chaturvedi is Gully Boy’s breakout star.

Watch out for Siddhant Chaturvedi!

The actor OWNS the rapper persona with ease, and you cannot ignore him when he’s on screen, whether teaching the metre and tempo to Murad or crushing a college student’s fake machismo with his rap in his introductory scene. He is more than believable as Murad’s mentor who brings him out of his shell, equips him with the confidence to hold his own in battle, and of course, christens him Gully Boy.

Hey there, Kalki!

Quite ironically, both MC Sher and Gully Boy find their rap career’s biggest boost through a musician (a delightful as always Kalki Koechlin) impersonating as one of those YouTube comments critics! It further goes on to show the power of the Internet, which has been responsible for the rise of hip hop universally. How else will this music go from the streets to the stage? Murad knows the part that Internet has played in his journey when he graffities ‘Roti, Kapda, Makaan’ on a wall and sly adds ‘Internet’ to the list of man’s basic needs today.

This is further proven when the crowd recognises the OG gully rap stars as they make an appearance on screen at regular intervals to loud shout outs and applause.

Perhaps the biggest applause ought to be reserved for the dialogues—written by Vijay Maurya, who plays Murad’s mama in the film—for they shift and morph with Murad’s rise. When the film begins, Murad’s ‘bohot hard’ lyrics lack delivery. But towards the end, he is more in sync with his dream. When he fights with his father about not wasting the gift God has given him, you can hear the meter in his arguments, half expecting him to put forth his point in rap.

Major kudos to Jay Oza’s camerawork which shows us the Mumbai’s gullies and its people up close and personal. Some brilliant top wide angle shots, and the lit up car is a personal favourite.

The film’s 18-list audio track is already a hit with the masses, and that itself forms a major chunk of the background score, which to me feels like a very astute decision. The hip hop beats keep the audience charged up, giving their constant applause a rhythm to sync with.

Director Zoya Akhtar’ storytelling is clever, as you’d remember in Dil Dhadakne Do, a story about the pretentious lives of the rich. And what Zoya can do with pretentious, she can do bloody well with raw and real.


I’ve reserved my biased favourite for last. Having been aware of how much Ranveer Singh loves hip hop and watching him perform ‘Apna Time Aayega’ at the Gully Boy music launch as well as several other TV shows, I was already going in impressed. But oh boy, to watch him perform at that final stage! Ranveer’s usually explosive energy is remarkably contained so as to show that this is Murad’s swan song, not Ranveer’s. He’s played a Dilli ka launda before, and the Mumbai ka chhokra act comes to this Bandra boy easily. Sure, he was trained by the best in the business (DIVINE, Naezy, and others), but if it weren’t for his own passion for rap, the film wouldn’t have been what it is. Safe to say, “Tere bhai jaise koi hard-ich nai hai!

It’s your typical underdog story, but the fiery characters, the explosive dialogues, some brilliant acting and the sick rap bars thrown into the mix are what make Gully Boy ‘Hard, bhai! Bohot hard!