Gully BoyThis definitely stands out as Ranveer Singh's best performance. Some of the best scenes and sequences in the film are actually when Murad is silent. His eyes and body language speak volumes in those moments. A young man trying to drown out the disruption of his dysfunctional family. A young man frustrated with the class divide. A young man trying to find his place in the world. A young man struggling to balance dreams and reality. While Ranveer is on fire as Gully Boy the rapper, his sublime performance as Murad is where he hits it out of the park.
Alia Bhatt is a firecracker as Safeena. She is making all the right choices with her movies so far. Alia Bhatt's Safeena is the Yang to Murad's Yin. He is quiet and restrained. She is unapologetically brash and aggressive. His anger is a slow simmer under the surface, while she is bubbling over with rage. Murad always has to pause to think about his choices. Safeena rebels wilfully and isn't unafraid to buck the social order. While Murad performs his story as rap before audiences, there is a performative quality to Safeena's rebellion that is also worth cheering for.
Apart from the protagonists, what makes Gully Boy is the ensemble cast. Siddhanth Chaturvedi is impeccable as MC Sher. He lights up the screen every time he walks in with his swagger and lopsided grin. Vijay Raaz is simultaneously loathsome and sympathetic as the father. Vijay Verma also gives a similarly memorable performance as a vile yet likable small-time crook. Every character - the mom, the dadi, the friends, has a role to play and shines.
The only actor underutilized and somewhat distracting to the narrative was Kalki Koechlin as Sky. While she gives her best, I found that her role was unnecessary and the film could have easily been scripted without her. I mean she is the catalyst of some soul searching and turmoil but wasn't necessary.
That brings me to my biggest gripe about the film. It's length. The length has always been a bone of contention of mine with even the best Indian films. Zoya Akhtar tries to pack too much into the story. Class Divide. Crime. Patriarchy. Poverty po*n. Feminism. Islamophobia. Bigamy. Alcoholism. Domestic Abuse. While every issue is handled deftly and seamlessly woven into the narrative, it adds bloat. It adds a lot that could have been easily trimmed to have a tighter crisper narrative.
Some of the editing, especially in terms of song placement and transitions is poor. Like Azadi comes out of the blue and didn't fit the mood and context for me. The battle rap sequences could have been edited better.
Despite the flaws Zoya Akthar does prove herself as a capable director. Most movies try o present the glam shots of Bombay. Marine Drive. Tall Buildings. Fast Fashion and Lives. Gully Boy presents a deglamorized version of the city. It dares to go into the streets and slums no one else wants to. Yet there is so much beauty in this deglamorized Bombay. The people and the places win your heart too. Kudos to the cinematographer for the wide sweeping shots of the slums.
Sidebar: I have to wonder what made Ranveer dress up in those outrageous outfits for those obnoxious promos. All the Gully Boy promo was such an antithesis to Murad. Murad loathes the flash and show of commercial rap. Murad sees rap as a form of storytelling rather than being about showbiz. Even after tasting success Murad doesn't fly high, he remains firmly grounded. Someday, someday I hope Ranveer Singh realizes that he is an immensely talented actor. His obnoxiousness only distracts from his talent.
Sidebar 2: I saw it with my sister. I told her about Azadi and how Ranveer/Alia were unable to reconcile the use of the song and Bollywood's recent proximity to Modi. She looked at me and said "Remember McCarthy". It all makes so much more sense now.
Awe
I would never have imagined there is a Telugu film that deals with homosexuality, transgender issues, assault and abuse, and so many other issues in a fascinating multi-narrative film.
My ELKDTAL hangover brought me to this film. I did not get the female title song or title song with Sweety/Kuhu montage so I decided to watch a Regina Cassandra film I heard about on Netflix.
How to describe this film? It is a mixture of science fiction, horror, fantasy, comedy, drama, and psychological thriller all rolled into one. Somehow this multigenre works and comes together seamlessly and works. Granted some of the characters and plots are a bit jarring and not as an easy fit, but it still comes together. The ending is a total mind f**k.
Sidebar: I was a bit upset at homosexuality being shown as the result of childhood sexual trauma. But then the other homosexual character does say that she was born that way. And yes, psychologically various life experiences can impact sexual orientation. That pesky nature vs nurture issue.
Edited by return_to_hades - 6 years ago
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