By Bilal Aziz –

In the 21st century, the emphasis on creativity has birthed a new way of thinking in a generation that is often directionless. Finding a voice that fills the void in one’s life is more difficult as it seems if you have not discovered the medium in which you are able to do so. At times, the inner voice that traps the rage, passion and frustration within needs a form of release. Zoya Akhtar’s “Gully Boy” is the guide which people should follow to achieve this.

Set in Dharavi, Mumbai, one of the largest slums in Asia (also the setting for Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire), the narrative of the film focuses on the plight of Murad (played by Ranveer Singh), a nervous and quietly perceptive individual who is used as a device to represent a wider community that has had its values shaped by the unfortunate circumstances they find themselves in. The movie is just as focused on the quality of life of individuals and families in deprived areas as it is on the hip-hop scene that was birthed as a result of it.

The rise of hip-hop in Mumbai coincidentally mirrors the inception of the culture in the Bronx in the 1970s. A rebellious genre of music born out of the cultural and social struggle of a group of people who use their anger and hidden talents to make a statement to the world that their voices will no longer be ignored.

Within the first 15 minutes of Gully Boy, the audience are exposed to theft, drugs and broken homes, all elements that have come to define slum-life in the mainstream and indeed the exact same themes that traditional hip-hop artists have always put to the fore of their artistry. The cinematography captures the claustrophobic and the lack of comfortability of day to day life in such areas. Not afraid to portray the harsh realities of the lives of struggling human beings and the expressive nature of urban customs, the movie itself is a form of hip-hop. Stripped bare and exposed in its rawest form.

The most telling scene of these minutes however was the introduction to Murad’s appreciation of hip-hop. We see the character’s eyes change from confusion, as a group of poverty tourists invade the privacy of his cramped home, to hope, as he sees one of the men wearing a t-shirt with a picture of American rapper Nas emblazed on the front of it. He begins to rap Nas’ infamous “NY State of Mind”, a track about the troublesome struggles of life in New York, while his voice becomes struck with conviction as he recites words that relate to his sorrow.

Hip-hop breaks boundaries. It transcends the particularity of who it really belongs to and opens up doors to people who have it shut in their faces every day through the poetry at the heart of the culture. It is unsurprising that young South Asians have used poetry as a device to share their stories.

Allama Iqbal, a philosophical poet, widely appreciated by literature enthusiasts in the Indian subcontinent played a significant role in embedding poetry deep into the roots of South Asian culture. His rhetoric was laced with socially conscious undertones while directly addressing political systems and spirituality under the guise of reawakening people who felt detached from their roots during British rule in India.

It is why South Asian music is lyrically meaningful at its heart. Poetry has become an intrinsic part of the culture and the understanding of it has given young writers a space to feel comfortable in pursuing careers outside the generic offerings by their elders.

Rappers Divine and Naezy, whose lives the film is loosely based on and who have contributed to a bulk of the MCing on the soundtrack, have given a voice to the people who have dared to dream in the strict, confined spaces they are unable to wither out of. They birthed a new culture on the streets of Mumbai where rebellious youth have evolved into confident men who articulate their situations through a medium that is easily accessible and will be even more so after the inevitable success of this film. With Nas being credited as an executive producer alongside Ranveer Singh effortlessly rapping every bar his character spits, the scene is destined to thrive, and it will be impossible to hinder the momentum it is currently gathering.

Gully Boy’s pulse is its poetic nature. It unassumingly weaves snippets of the soundtrack into scenes that would seem out of place without them. The intricate lyrics become part of the screenplay, aiding the progression of the story. In a scene where Murad is forced to take on his father’s job as a driver to a rich family and absorb their first world problems, the spoken word form of “Doori”, plays alongside a melancholic backing track, conveying his inner thoughts while effortlessly showing the division of class in Indian society. The reality of the words takes the audience away from their comfortable lives and invests their emotions into a character who has been written in a way that you cannot help but root for him to succeed.

Audiences flock to the cinemas when the story of the underdog takes centre stage. Will Smith starrer “The Pursuit of Happiness” gained critical acclaim for the emotive message it presented to Americans who failed to make ends meet to keep their families afloat. Gully Boy is on par with it. The message of hope, freedom and self-growth patch the few cracks the film has and brings to the fore the heart shattering impact it provides.

This movie signals the shift in narrative of mainstream entertainment in the South Asian industry. Where once the audience would be forced to sit through a three-hour display from egotistically superstars with no intention to act properly alongside predictable conflicts, generic songs and intelligence insulting narratives, the coming of age element of Gully Boy’s story will inevitably sway audiences to choose movies that reflect the state of society rather than take them on an endless journey of mediocrity.

And as the end credits start rolling, you feel like there’s still so much to explore of the underground hip-hop scene in Mumbai. The abrupt ending is more like a mic-drop than a definitive end to a story. As you see Murad going back to his gully in Dharavi after his triumphant rise to the top, you begin to realise that life is all about appreciating where you came from as it moulds you as a person. It is who you are and who you always will be. Modern day hip-hop fans don’t appreciate the fact that authenticity is key. Gully Boy planted this idea and now we hope for the seeds to grow as quickly as the scene has.