Gully Boy Archives

10 Years of Gulaal: Why the Politics and Poetry of the Anurag Kashyap Film Have Acquired Cult Status

Gulaal is perhaps Anurag Kashyap’s most unforgiving film and not because it’s dressed in his trademark brashness, but because like life, it is grounded in cynicism. That said, the movie earned its cult status largely due to one man: Piyush Mishra and his doomsday poetry.

Manik Sharma July 23, 2016

Bollywood

“Trigger Dabaya… Aur Khel Khallas!” 20 Years Ago, Vaastav Truly Mainstreamed Gangster Lingo

Years later, Munnabhai MBBS and most recently, Gully Boy, did what Vaastav set the trend for two decades ago – give Bollywood dialogues a coloquial veneer. Phrases like “pachaas tola” and words like “ghoda” remain a snapshot of what Mumbai is really like beyond the Queen’s Necklace and plush skyscrapers.

Damian D'souza July 22, 2016

Pop Culture

Kya Bol Rele Gully Boy: How Hip-Hop Hacked India in 2019

Even as India registers a low rank for starting a business, and millions of micro-firms struggle to stay afloat, a new species of internet-enabled artist-entrepreneur is thriving. Unburdened by corporate or political bureaucracy, Indian hip-hop’s army of ardent creators have hooked our youth to a quality product.

Nair Da July 15, 2016

Bollywood

From Tapsee Pannu, Ranveer Singh, to Yami Gautam: The 10 Best Hindi Film Performances of 2019

As everyone will tell you, this year has been a particularly unremarkable year for Bollywood. The silver lining has been the versatile, inventive performances that have come from the most experimental of films and actors. From Tapsee Pannu and Ranvir Shorey to Geetika Vidya Olyan and Ranveer Singh, here are the 10 best performances of 2019.

Poulomi Das July 4, 2016

Pop Culture

“Gully Life” Introduces Us to Vivian Fernandes, the Man Behind Divine

At this point, Divine, who has fronted crackling music collaborations, founded a band, an independent hip-hop label, a hip-hop fest, and inspired a Bollywood film, has stopped being just a musician. Instead, he is now, a cultural commodity – a gully-bred Indian rap franchise. A new documentary unearths Vivian Fernandes, the man behind Divine.

Poulomi Das June 30, 2016

Bollywood

Gully Boy Isn’t the Year’s Finest Indian Film, But it is the Best Choice for the Oscars

You can be divided on whether Gully Boy is the finest film of the year, but it goes without saying that it is the best choice for the Oscars. An Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film doesn’t have to be an accurate representation of Indian cinema, it just has to have the financial might to sustain an Oscar campaign.

Poulomi Das June 17, 2016

Bollywood

From Bollywood’s Boldest Star to Big Mouth: What Do We Do About Kangana Ranaut?

Kangana Ranaut’s latest release Panga stands overshadowed by the theatrics on display during her film promotion on Thursday. Ranaut said that senior lawyer Indiria Jaising should be thrown in jail along with the 2012 Delhi gang rape convicts for suggesting that they be pardoned. For an actor who has carefully pitched herself as the champion of feminism, her comments against Jaising are deeply misogynistic.

Kahini Iyer June 14, 2016

Bollywood

Gully Boy Review: Khatri Music & Bahut Hard Performances in a Primer on Mumbai Slums

Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt deliver power-packed performances in Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy. But the movie soon becomes predictable and seems stubborn in playing out like a 101 primer on life in the Indian slum. After 18 songs, you come out of the theatre learning as much about gully rap in India as you did going into it.

Poulomi Das June 13, 2016

Features

How Spitfire, a Young Gully Rapper Made His Mark On India With Gully Boy’s “Asli Hip Hop”

The “Asli Hip Hop” hook from the Gully Boy that you’ve been tapping your foot to? It was created by Nitin Mishra, aka Spitfire, whose signature verses have set the Ranveer Singh-starrer aflame. Exactly how did a young rapper from small-town Madhya Pradesh make his mark on Bollywood?

Kanika Katyal May 28, 2016