10-Point review of Gully Boy

How can I watch this masterpiece and have nothing to write about! Here goes, a not-so-quick, not-so-funny (you cannot mock this one!), 10-point review of Gully Boy!

1. If Sanjay Leela Bhansali does scale and opulence, Karan Johar does first world problems of Indians in London, Imtiaz Ali does love stories and journeys of self-discovery, Zoya Akhtar does characters. While Zindagi na Milegi Dobara and Dil Dhadakne Do were about mostly gorgeous and rich people, the characters were written so relatably and realistically, that you feel like Kabir, or feel like Arjun at times. Gully Boy is no different – you understand his driver dad’s insecurities; his mother’s explosive outburst saying she wants to leave but then dumbfounded once her husband says okay, leave; You understand Safina’s ferociousness, you understand Murad’s dilemmas. Everyone is as people are, real.

2. The movie is a superb primer into the rap world even if your knowledge of the topic like me is zilch. It should show up in google as the most relevant result if you googled “Mumbai underground rap scene for dummies”.

3. The supporting cast is stellar – Siddhant Chaturvedi is splendid and to be honest, I’m not surprised because he is my one lasting memory of Inside Edge. Watch it right away if you haven’t already. He’s brilliant in the most under-played fashion in that series. How he plays Ranveer’s senior, mentor and guide with more oomph in his first movie than Ranveer plays Murad is beyond me! Kalki in her brief part is lovable and so watchable as Sky, you wish she had more time on screen. Vijay Raaz is brilliant, even Slow Cheeta in his single rap battle scene is memorable.

4. Friendship in the most ordinary of times and places is probably the most genuine. While many of us have a ton of social connections and networks, with hundreds of ‘friends’ who will like even posts with poor grammar and no sense or sensibility, we have very few true friends who will tell you not to do drugs but who will steal cars with you when needed; who will go to jail for you, who will celebrate your success even if it means their failure. This kind of aspirational friendship in Gully Boy is celebrated and yet shown as matter-of-factly as possible. Where is my MC Sher, even?

5. Rap battles – Great battle of insults, but Please, Zoya. Two Punjabi mothers in law will defeat MC Sher, Gully Boy, Slow Cheeta all combined.

6. The landscape – I was yet to see a movie based in Mumbai with no shot of Marine Drive or in the more recent years, Antilla. Gully Boy is a weirdly beautiful journey into the less seen chawls and gullies of Mumbai, without giving it a poverty stricken Slumdog Millionaire feel.

7. Dialogues – Heartfelt, normal, deep and pensive – You have all of them. You relate to the lines in some way or the other. Even if I grab my blanket from Vivek nowadays and tell him “Ilaaka ye mera, go back to your gully”, I also recall telling him “Jaisi hoon, waise rehne deta hai, use zyada kya chahiye” more oft than once. The lines are as normal and real as they can get.

8. Gully Boy teaches you to never give up on your dreams, but also tackles a bunch of social evils on the side very smartly with these stereotypes – A man who has a second marriage, but whose mother thinks he’s never done any wrong (you’re every amma, dadi!); Parents who are over-strict with their kids because of which they’re lied to more often than not. What makes it truly brilliant though, is that it also breaks stereotypes as quickly as it established them – Sky, this youtube troll who turns out to be a girl much to the shock of Sher & Murad; The foreigner chick who hangs out with Sher because ‘ye log seedha aankh mein dekhte’; Sher spontaneously telling a chauvinistic boy off at a festival through rap.

9. Murad & Safina’s relationship is so beautiful, so simple and so clean. Their intro scene is holding hands and listening to music quietly in the bus; Murad’s name is saved as some aunty’s on Safina’s phone (we’ve all been there!); the kissing is normal, the late night phone calls are normal, everything they say and do feels like yours or your best friend’s love story which you know to be real. Plus, she’s bad-ass enough to assault a girl who even messages Murad – the scene being equal parts hilarious and equal parts establishing why you shouldn’t be shocked when he breaks a bottle on Kalki’s head later on!

10. The way the movie ends is beautiful, intelligent and highly mature. You’re left with high grade optimism in a very real and relatable way. I walked from the lift to my car in the parking lot with some pretty unnecessary swag because that’s how upbeat the movie leaves you.

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