Review of Gully Boy (2019) by Vischalla — 06 Mar 2019

I find wanting to give this movie a good review but not being able to. The movie centers around Murad (played by Ranveer Singh) and his journey to actualize his passion for hip-hop music through dedication and talent.

A premise that I was very excited about but as the movie started and we start seeing possible points of conflict and tension the story rips them out and hands Murad easy solutions to his problems. Murad's world is one where talented people are neglected for their status in life and when they set out to achieve their goals they are shot down and told time and again that it isn't their lot in life.

This, I believe, is the message the writers are trying to get across to the audience but instead of showing this narrative through the actions of the world around Murad, the writers resort to a few scenes here and there where it is explicitly told to him all the while people keep providing him the space, time, money, and all around support for him to be successful.

The music was sharply written and the acting was wonderfully done. Where the movie falls flat on its face is in the attempt to reconcile its worldview and the personal challenges of its leading character.