Ranveer Singh drops Gully Boy trailer in Mumbai

The trailer of Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt’s upcoming film, Gully Boy, was launched in Mumbai yesterday. The film is a musical drama based on the underground/gully rap movement of Mumbai, made popular by Indian hip-hop artists like Divine, Naezy and Emiway Bantai. Presenting the trailer, director Zoya Akhtar said, “In 2014, when I was editing my film Dil Dhadakne Do, my editor Anand Subaya showed me a video of a song called Aafat by Naezy. That was the first time I saw real, authentic gully rap. It just got stuck in my head and from that moment on it was a journey and I am finally here.”

Ranveer Singh spoke about his love for rap music and said he was born to play the lead role in the film. He said, “When someone first told me about Gully Boy, I knew it was my film. If someone else had done it, I would’ve burned to ashes with jealousy. It’s a coming together of many things that are dear to me. I’ve loved rap and hip-hip music since I was a kid. It’s also about the city of Mumbai, my birthplace. Zoya is my friend and confidant, and she’s much more to me than just a director.”

Alia Bhatt, who portrays a medical student and Ranveer’s romantic interest in the film, shared her experience of working on Gully Boy. “It was a brilliant experience working on this film. I feel Zoya and Excel Entertainment are a fantastic team. They are so on point. This film is so raw — it comes from the stomach and goes to the heart. I really felt that.”

Producer Ritesh Sidhwani, who co-owns Excel Entertainment with Farhan Akhtar, agreed that Gully Boy will bring more attention to the burgeoning hip-hop scene in India. “It’s a growing culture and I think through this film Indian rappers will find a bouncing board to spread it around the world. The moment Zoya had written the script with Reema Kagti and decided to turn it into a feature film, we knew it would help promote the hip-hop artists of India coming out of the slums."

Gully Boy has been selected for a special gala screening at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The film is scheduled for release in India on Valentine’s Day (February 14).