Gully Boy : Film Review

GullyBoy is a Rap/HipHop Musical. In country where every film is a musical, that GullyBoy still manages to own that stamp is a testament to the quality of music in the movie, how integral to the plot line it is and how it moves the story along. The story of GullyBoy is essentially the story of the underdog - abd as with all such stories, you know the protagonist is going to triumph over his circumstance and emerge victorious. What essentially sets GullyBoy apart is the world the film is set in : We are more used to seeing the Alps of Switzerland in our films and the trials and tribulations of the ultra-rich than the grittiness abd the darkness in the lives of those that live on the fringes of our lives. The limited ambitions, the life of playing with the law, the dead end road ahead that everybody believes you should have based on your address- Music emerging from these gritty environs is raw, and it hits a chord. The form of music : Rap and Hio Hop are relatively new to the Indian mainstream audience, and GullyBoy ensures we walk away being fans of this genre of music. Ranveer and Alia , the lead couple are predictably good- these are both good actors who know how to get under the skin of a character. Obviously as the title character, Ranveer has much more to do. From a tentative young boy who listens to music to escape his circumstance, a boy who is more a passive observer in his own life, to somebody who gets the courage to stand up for his mother and then for his dreams, Ranveer plays Murad with a vulnerability and sensitivity, that is still rare to see in a main-stream star. Alia’s character as the neurotic but supportive girlfriend has screentime, but little to do in terms of movie the story forward. However it is her milieu - middle to upper middle class muslim family - conservative enough to require a headscarf abd yet modern enough to educate their daughter to be a doctor that I found fascinating and oh so real. I have knows girls like Safina personally and their Hunger to build something of their lives, even when the environment isn’t entirely supportive is something I have experienced and admired. Both Murad and Safina’s characters live in a cage of their current circumstance - but both don’t believe their circumstance defines them - they dream of different lives and are determined - as Ranveer says to ‘change their reality so it matches their dreams’. This is what connects them inspite of their different economic backgrounds. The movie however belongs to the vast array of spectacular supporting characters - the friend who is a carjacker, the rapper who teaches Ranveer to rap, the father who marries again and who believes Murad should be focussed on reality not dreaming of a life that has no future..these characters add the texture to the story and make it worth watching. Overall, this film deserves a 4/5
Disclaimer : The one odd friend has cursed me as they watched the film after reading my review but hated the movie because they couldn’t handle the Hip-Hop. READ THE REVIEW : The first line says it’s a HIP-HOP Musical : 18 tracks to be precise. Would you watch ‘Dhoni’ the film, if you dislike cricket and hate Dhoni ?’ Same rule applies here.