Gully Boy Movie Review- The beating heart of Bombay

Director: Zoya Akhtar

Star Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Varma, Vijay Raaz

Gully Boy directed by Zoya Akhtar is nothing short of a masterpiece. It leaves you inspired, fulfilled and in awe of the struggles so many in Mumbai face. The movie from the beginning shows the Bombay no one really talks about, a city which is at once beautiful and magnetic but also repulsive and inhumane. The slums of Dharavi where the movie is mainly shot is never exploited to invoke pity or sympathy, the camera just observes the lives of these people. The characters sculpted by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti are all vulnerable in some way, none of them not even Murad (Ranveer Singh) are perfect or the quintessential Bollywood ‘Hero’.

The story of Gully Boy is rather simple, we all know how it s going to end as we walk into the theatre but it is everything in the middle which makes the film so special. Zoya Akhtar looks at a plethora of themes, from marital abuse to colourism. Gully Boy follows the same rags to riches format but manages to fuse layered characters to spice up the narrative. It is a testament to the talent of Zoya Akhtar that throughout the film this does not feel overwhelming. The most beautiful part about this is that there is no moral compass looming over the entire film constantly reminding you to pick a side. Instead the movie allows you to explore the emotions and the reasons leading to a particular action. You never hate any action of a character because instead of peering through your moral compass we get to empathise with every character. The characters all with their own insecurities are never reduced to a caricature or a trope they all have their individuality. May it be Safeena who’s aggression is disturbing but is justified or Moin who poses the question of breaking your own moral values in the fight towards survival.

Gully boy is not only such a huge success because of its characters but also for the beautifully detailed dialogue. The lingo and slang is perfect for Mumbai, words like “Dhoptungi” fit the narrative perfectly. The writing is also extremely layered, for example Safeena never says “bahut hard” because it isn’t part of her character where MC Sher (Siddhant Chaturvedi) uses this phrase regularly. Since the narrative itself has people from varied classes the dialogue has the burden to change for every character and the dialogue delivers to its fullest. The research and effort behind it is extremely evident.

The acting performances as also incredible. Ranveer Singh is extraordinary as the silent and emotional Murad. The number of emotions solely reflected through his eyes were incredible. While singing into the mike his eyes slowly tear up and you can see him in his most vulnerable state. This is the best role I have ever seen him in as he is not unnecessarily flamboyant and he shape shifts into a boy from Dharavi who is always told to keep his head down and live life. Alia Bhat as Safeena was as usually incredible. Safeena was my favourite character in the film, her drive, power and anger is all understandable but it is slowly unravelled as the story continues. Her character is never just depicted as a just some crazy girl, there is a reason for her craziness. Alia plays her perfectly and as soon as she enters she lights up the frame. Ranveer and Alia also have an incredible chemistry on screen, there is lots of comfort between them. The first time they meet is also beautifully showcased where every small move made by them shows years of comfort paired with necessary exposition. Siddhant Chaturvedi is also brilliant as MC Sher and his swagger is visible with every action. Kalki Koechlin as Sky did not really have a large impact on me, she seemed necessary for the story to continue but the way she was written was weak and undercooked. Even Murad’s parents are wonderful, and show no form of melodrama during the scenes which depict abuse. Everyone on the star cast is perfect for the role they have been allotted.

The biggest strength in this movie according to me was the love story between Ranveer and Alia, where usually we are subjected to stereotypical meet ups or falling in love here we are pushed right into the middle of their love story which isn’t really new, they have been dating for about 9 years. Few moments between them like reaching out to each other or him climbing over to her window gave me strong feeling like was right out of Romeo and Juliet which may have even been the intention.

The music speaks just as much as the dialogue in this film. All the 18 tracks are different in their own way and the music is something Indian cinema has never really seen. Even though the hip-hop rap movement functions underground in Mumbai the music was received extraordinarily even by the masses, a large credit to this goes to the lyrics as the lyrics fit into the narrative organically none of the songs seem forced. “India 91” a track from Gully Boy is a blend between traditional Indian music and rap which allows the audience to ease into the world of rap music even if they are not too aware about it. I knew nothing about rap or the movement but I was never left confused even once in the narrative.

Although this wasn’t very explicit the art direction and sets in the movie were also extremely effective. Ranveer’s home has two floors but the claustrophobia is felt with the chipping paint, weak doors and slanted stair cases. The difference between all the homes and the colour schemes were also extraordinary to witness. Ranveer’s uncles house is shown with green tinges which makes it seem foreboding and as though he is not welcome there. All of the elements of the film work in harmony and that is its greatest strength.

Zoya Akhtar has a wonderful gift of combining an indieish rather niche idea palatable to the masses and she is able to do this only by keeping her overarching narrative simple. Since the overall story is so simple, she is able to add small moments which matter more like one relative saying “Tumhe gana hi hai toh Ghazal hi ga lo”. Zoya also never lets any scene become too emotional, after every such scene she inserts a joke to liven up the mood. All of these jokes land and the audience was always cheering, clapping or in some cases even agreeing with every single dialogue.

If I really have to pick flaws I’d say Kalki’s character could have been more entertaining rather than just a foreign rich girl trope. I honestly had no problem with the time, although many thought it dragged for a while I enjoyed every second of the movie may it be exposition or climax. Personally, I wanted too see more of Alia in the story. Maybe this is only my perspective as I throughly enjoyed her character. I waited until she came on screen and in some moments were she is present the noise around her is so much that I was unable to devote my focus to her. I wish she returned to the narrative more often.

I urge everyone to watch this movie, because its pretty rare that such a wonderful movie releases. Watch it for the prowess of Zoya Akhtar and her incredible talent to fill her story with nuance. If you are anything like me you may come out feeling a little guilty about never even thinking about the distance between you and your staff. But I also felt like leaving everything and just following my dreams after watching the movie, I was hugely inspired since his situation never changed his dreams. I think this may just be the best movie of the year, it a tough one to top off. I’m going with 4 stars.