8 Reasons Why Everyone Should Watch Gully Boy

Bollywood, an industry that is massive enough to stand as an identity for Indian Cinema. It is no myth that Bollywood is often associated with clichéd love stories or those emanating major ‘family value’ vibes, yet the past year has seen a significant shift from the “masala” to “art” film style, movies that genuinely make a difference, movies where the heroes in the stories aren’t celebrated, but the stories themselves are celebrated as heroes. One such film, or rather masterpiece, is Gully Boy.

I personally am a huge Zoya Akhtar fan, be it her choice of scripts or the way she carves her screenplay, she doesn’t screen movies she screens poetry. That being said, here are 8 reasons why everyone must watch Gully Boy:

1.)It is Based On A True Story:
Although it isn't a biopic, Gully Boy is based on the lives of Indian street rappers Naezy and Divine and how they rose to fame. The way Zoya has structured the story showing you just the parts that will hit you hard, will make you walk out of the movie extremely inspired. Such stories and struggles deserve to be watched.

2.)Social Awareness:

This is something Zoya always makes sure she includes in her films. The way she subtly includes scenes that majorly call out social flaws not only add depth to the characters portraying them, but also to the story as a whole. For example, there is a scene where Sky (Kalki Koechlin) and Murad (Ranveer) along with Sky‘s friends go around the city painting it red, from graffiti on billboards advertising fairness products to painting strong statements supporting nature on construction sites’ walls, the impact of such scenes are large. This shot, that lasted no more than a few seconds, even went on to gain a round of applause in the theatre.

3.)Realistic Look on Domestic Abuse:

The character of Ranveer, Murad, grows up in a rather disturbed environment. The way the scenes at this dysfunctional household are depicted make you feel like you are sitting right there as an onlooker as the everyday drama unfolds. Zoya makes sure to capture how each person of the family is affected individually, this attempt is also justified by the chilling performances from Amruta Subhash (the mother), Vijay Raaz (the father), Jyoti Subhash (the grandmother) and of course Ranveer. From showing Murad’s mother’s mixed emotions including anger, pain and even guilt about ruining her children’s lives to Murad’s grandmother supporting her son in his second marriage and her finally feeling ‘selfishly’ concerned about who will take care of her when Murad , his mom and his brother decide to step out of that house, the whole set up makes you genuinely realize what each victim of domestic abuse goes through.

4.)Character Building:

This is another trait you would usually find in Zoya‘s films, she builds characters through the course of the story in her own unique way.Take the example of Safeena (mind-blowing portrayal by Aliaa Bhatt), since she comes from a family with a lot of restrictions just because she is a woman, Safeena naturally tends to hold on to the little things in her life that call out ‘freedom’, and the only such things are her education and her 9- year long relationship with Murad, thereby justifying her possessiveness and insecurity in her relationship due to the fear of losing one of the only things that keep her life going. Yet when we watch her for the first time getting crazily insecure about Murad when another girl seemed to like him, we naturally judge her, and that is the beauty in the way her character has been written. We as onlookers tend to judge someone without knowing the cause of their actions, which is probably what Zoya is trying to tell us by sketching Safeena‘s character in such a way. She is also the most badass character in the movie, her wit and humor in itself is another reason for you to watch it.

5.)Calls Out Sexism:

The movie portrays sexism not only in the middle class household but also among the elite, showing how sexism prevails in our day-to-day lives irrespective of how well-educated, rich or poor you are:

1.)Safeena’s restrictions: There are various scenes showing how Safeena isn’t allowed to talk much, wear lipstick, go out with friends etc. When she finally opens up to her parents telling them how the way she’s being treated is ruining her life, she is slapped and is forced to quit her education to get married. This is another way with which Zoya highlights such societal flaws whilst using it to create depth for her characters.

2.)Sexism among the elite: Murad serves as a driver for an extremely well-off family, there is a scene in which the employer's daughter is being forced by her parents to become a post-graduate to maintain social status as opposed to her wanting to work and earn money, this way Zoya shows that although there are differences among how sexism prevails amongst various households, at the end of the day women are still made to sacrifice their choices to maintain social status.

6.)Strong Portrayal of The Gap Between The Elite And The Poor:

The differences between their lives are beautifully shown in the movie, it is also shown how the poor are affected, there are scenes where Murad’s employer casually lets out statements that let Murad down and to what extend it affects him. There is a scene where Murad is attracted towards the sound of rap and moves toward the door of a posh club but is asked to go away and stand with the drivers. Such scenes emphasise the gap between the elite and the poorer working class.

7.)Life In Dharavi:

By far the best element of the movie is the way everyday life in Dharavi is portrayed. The story also shows how the poor living conditions there force even the good-natured people (like Moeen portrayed by Vijay Verma)to take to rather shady tracks. The culture of hip hop among the street rappers is pretty much the essence of the film, how they strive to live in such conditions and yet are all content, amazingly talented and passionate is the biggest life-giving element for the film. Take the protagonists even, how Murad and MC Sher work towards their dream in spite of the obstacles they had to face makes you rethink your accomplishments with the amount of luxury you have.

Fun fact: All the other rappers shown in the movie other than Murad and MC Sher are real rappers who are pretty famous. The rapper Divine even owns a label called Gully Gang that mostly records raps based on the lives in Dharavi or in the ‘Gullies’, you must listen to the raps of the real Gully Boys (Naezy & Divine) to understand how realistic their lyrics are!

8.)A Sensible Angle Towards Love (sigh)
Gone are the days where the protagonist accidentally runs into the female lead and decides that she will be his life-partner in that slow-motion shot. The angle of love in Gully Boy is not only convincing but also makes you feel happy when you watch. The way Murad and Safeena act as each other’s only happiness and support during their hardest times will sure make you smile. Even their relationship plays a major role In the character sketch of the two. How Zoya portrays that one aspect of Murad and Safeena ‘s lives as a constant comes off as a relief after the umpteen number of clichéd love stories where the girls are portrayed as shopping/gifts-frenzy and guys as victims of their own relationships.

The movie as a whole is extremely inspiring, be it the lyrics of hit songs like Apna Time Aayega and Doori or the mind-blowing dialogues. The screenplay is more than beautiful in this movie, there are simple yet deep shots such as the one where the camera focuses on the tired faces of some strangers on a train with nothing but light music and poetry in the background that talks about the monotony of life, the shot is that simple but still beautiful.Although the main attraction of the movie is obviously rap and how hip hop frees Murad from his emotional battles and his troubled life, the above elements only go on to add more life to the film.

Despite the fact that the movie has so many such elements, the story is scripted in a way where none of these make it seem too concentrated, it rather comes off as a beautiful blend. Be it the poetry in the background or the characters, you will feel a weird sense of connection to the story. You can even say that Gully Boy pertains to everybody’s life, in one way or the other.