Gully Boy

If one strips away Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy to its bare essentials, one would find many similarities between this film and the Eminem-starrer, 8 Mile. Honestly speaking though, it makes little to no difference because Akhtar’s film is a masterclass of narrative storytelling.

Taking measured steps, Akhtar expertly expands a simple enough story into an epic. The plot isn’t spectacular or unique, narrating the rise-to-fame story of a hot-blooded young man named Murad (Ranveer Singh), who channels his life’s troubles into his talent.

Murad writes rap songs, but his journey to fame isn’t spontaneous. In fact, Akhtar makes sure that we only catch one fleeting glimpse of Murad’s stardom at the parting shot of the film, after all the credits have scrolled away.

Akhtar’s film, inspired by the life of rappers Naezy and Divine, chooses Murad and his raw, gritty world over the glitzy glamour lifestyle of the music industry. For all intents and purposes, it’s a study of real life and its compromises.

On his second entry in the film, Murad’s father (Vijay Raaz) brings a young second wife to their family home — a small shared space of a room-and-a-half in the Mumbai slums, where Murad’s mum, his grandmother, and his younger brother live. It’s not uncommon, it seems, to accept a new mother or to be slapped around the house in agitation.

Murad’s father lives life on a strict code: for him, there are no rules, and those who live in his house obey his iron-clad whims. At every instance, after every beating, Murad and his mum are reminded that good money has been spent on his education, and that being a son of a driver, his only ambition should be to take over his father’s job — or, if kismet really shines, maybe graduate to a managerial post in a company.

Murad’s life changes when he befriends an underground rapper named MC Sher (Siddhant Chaturvedi) — a freestyle rapper who tears down a smart-mouthed bully at a concert. MC Sher immediately senses Murad’s talents and teaches him to rap on rhythm. What we witness is a fantastic collaboration in the true sense of the word, as Akhtar stays away from clichéd story turns such as petty squabbles, insecurity and jealousy.

These traits are ported over to Safeena (Alia Bhatt), Murad’s girlfriend since childhood. Safeena, a smart student who wants to be a doctor one day, is truly, madly, deeply in love with Murad. So much so, that she scratches off a girl’s face in a catfight and, later, effortlessly smashes a beer bottle on another’s head when she suspects Murad is having an affair (the second woman, by the way, is Kalki Koechlin — another prominent supporting character in the film).

Safeena’s, prompt, spitfire attitude and a lack of musical talent doesn’t make her a bimbo, nor does it hamper the romantic aspects of the story. Murad and Safeena’s relationship has a calm, casual intimacy. The two hardly throw cliched dialogues at each other; one can see the depth of their relationship by the way they hold hands on a bus, or when they share earphones to listen to music.

Akhtar and co-writers Reema Kagti and Vijay Maurya write every scene with deliberated nuances. Almost every creative and artistic decision in the film works, whether it is the acting (Bhatt, Singh and Chaturvedi are excellent), the cinematography, the editing, production design or the beat of the music.

Actually, one does not need to know hip hop or rap to appreciate the film’s music (Murad’s rap is written by Javed Akhtar, by the way). The soundtrack and the placement of the songs stay away from clichéd conventions. The only time we hear songs or music is when Murad, or any of the film’s supporting characters, engage in a rap battle or perform for a crowd — and the audience can’t help but sway to the beat.

Gully Boy is Akhtar’s most ambitious and mature film to date. Telling simple and engaging stories is an art form — one she has all but mastered in this film.

Gully Boy is director Zoya Akhtar’s most ambitious and mature film to date while Pakistani filmmakers can learn a lot from the Punjabi family entertainer Kala Shah Kala

Kala Shah Kala

In a 180-degree role reversal, a man born with dark skin cannot find a wife in Kala Shah Kala — a Punjabi family entertainer that will definitely not be playing in Sindh by the time you read this. It’s quite unfortunate actually, because the movie is quite entertaining.

Binnu Dhillon, who previously starred in Vadhayiyaan Ji Vadhayiyaan, Carry on Jatta 2, and had a small role in Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se — has matured into a fine actor and an even better producer. In fact, Kala Shah Kala is a film that Pakistani filmmakers can learn a lot from.

The story is straightforward: a romantic comedy drama of a dark-skinned man with a heart of gold, a girl who marries him because of family pressure, and the young man she fancies.

Sargun Mehta, the lead actress, handles the bulk of the acting chores. Her character, Pammi — a canny, insolent young woman who falls in love with a local village do-gooder (Jordan Sandhu) — has the most screen time, as well as the margin to deliver a diverse performance.

The film, though, belongs to Dhillon, who delivers a compelling character that stays on the backburners for most of the film and, despite headlining a comedy, doesn’t stoop to silly, madcap antics for a quick and cheap laugh. This is a fun, family film; the kind one rarely gets to see on screen these days.

Published in Dawn, ICON, February 24th, 2019