An inspired rap musical that is also accessible and fun to watch

Gully boy

Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin

Murad (Ranveer Singh) goes to meet his mentor MC Sher (Siddhant Chaturvedi). They climb up to a terrace, where Singh presents his first song to Sher who listens and nods, appreciatively but also cautiously, like a critic balancing encouragement with advice, and says, “What is rap? Rhythm and poetry. Your poetry’s in place.

Just needs the right tempo.” To illustrate the point, Sher’s accompanying punter breaks into a quick rendition of the viral song Aur Bantai, and Murad’s face brightens up. He’s got it.The choice of reference is apt: Released on YouTube in 2014, Emiway Bantai’s instantly catchy track was one of the early hits of the Mumbaiya rap scene. Zoya Akhtar’s mostly satisfying tribute to this phenomenon, Gully Boy, acknowledges this distinction with a nice nod: “Roti, Kapra Aur Makan,” Murad spray-paints across a wall covered with advertisement flyers, and cheekily adds, “+ Internet.” Later in the film, he whips out his phone and angrily crams it into his father’s face. “Four lakh people have viewed my song. It must mean something.”

This is a familiar underdog story repackaged in a new, real setting, and so much of the film is a balancing act. With the aid of cinematographer Jay Oza, Akhtar lands firmly on her feet. The images and characters of Gully Boy look consistently lived-in, despite the storytelling flaws. There’s an aerial shot of Dharavi where a street is lit up so bright, it resembles a lava flow, a constant metaphor for the yearning spirit of rappers. Angst and authenticity is the core contention of underground culture, Akhtar understands and acknowledges this, and finds clever ways to cover her tracks. 

Ranveer Singh is stirringly understated in the film while  Alia Bhatt, playing Safeena Ali, is always ready to smack. The actor is hilarious and winsome as the aspiring surgeon who socks anyone flirting with her lover. Kalki Koechlin appears as music producer Sky; she is the weakest link in the story.
Gully Boy belongs to the three Vijays in the film — Raaz, Maurya and Varma — who flank, shape and scorekeep Murad’s life. Marathi actor Amruta Shubhash plays the mother to the rapper, the locus of his angst.