Gully Boy

Movie Review (Hindi)

"He is just a Gully Boy" said one of the characters in the movie. But “just the Gully boy” went on to rule hearts. Ranveer Singh, playing the reticent character Murad, expresses his dissatisfaction at the way things are in his world in the Dharavi slums through poetry. The energy levels in the movie rise with the entrance of MC Sher played by Siddhant Chaturvedi, the rapper who shows Murad a way out of the mundane. Our Gully Boy then raps his way into a confident individual able to stand up to his father’s dominance.

With actresses like Alia Bhatt and Kalki Koechlin providing support, the movie is bound to do well. The characters are well etched and the edit is fast. Dharavi stands out as a world holding many, many stories waiting to be told.

Director Zoya Akhtar certainly knows how to hold the attention of ciné goers, ending with the competition. It is an age-old trick which somehow always get the right reaction to a sense of vindication. I only wish the director had risen above this and taken the movie to a different level.

 Nevertheless, I loved the statement, so pregnant with hope and aspiration – Apna time aayega!

Dil Dhadakne Do

Movie Review (Hindi)

When I saw the Zoya Akhtar movie, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, I was elated. I really enjoyed it. I was a part of the journey that the three friends embarked upon. This, for me,was the winning point of the movie. 

And this precisely, according to me, is the losing point of Dil Dhadakne Do. 

I just could not be a part of the ultra rich class. I was dissociated for the entire length of the movie, expecting every moment to be pulled into that world, but alas! That made the film a loooong and tedious one.

I loved Pluto. Thank you Zoya and Reema for that master stroke. Little nuggets of interesting info on the main characters and on human beings in general coming from a dog-- full of humour.  The other redeeming factor of the movie - the sizzling cast. This at least made sure that the audience would not return disappointed.

Yes, the movie dealt with gender bias, patriarchy, social snobbery, sibling love, finding oneself, etc, etc. All of these would have worked wonderfully if the cast wasn't in the middle of the ocean in a cruise liner in a temporary setting. Too many people, too much confusion and nothing worthwhile happening.

Already looking forward to another good movie from you, Zoya...