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Gully Boy backdrop

Gully Boy

14 February 2019Hindi2h 36m
out of 10
Recommendedmost critics liked it
Monk Score · 19 scored reviews · 6 not rated

Ranveer Singh carries this vivid Mumbai rap story through every beat it hits.

Verdict tier Recommended, most critics liked it, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: Ranveer Singh's central performance
  • Criticised: film lacks sufficient thematic depth

Audience

User score 8.5 out of 10 from 13 ratings, Exceptional
Read 7 audience reviews ↓

Critic consensus

What 25 critics are saying

Gully Boy received a strongly positive critical reception, with the large majority of reviewers praising Ranveer Singh's central performance as the standout element of the film. The music and soundtrack were also widely commended, with several critics highlighting the authenticity brought by real rap artists and the quality of the lyrics and beats. Zoya Akhtar's direction was appreciated for its craft, visual finesse, and its textured portrayal of Mumbai's street rap subculture, along with a noted feminist thread in Alia Bhatt's character Safeena. A handful of critics felt the film did not push hard enough thematically given its subject matter, and its runtime was flagged as a minor issue.

How the 19 scores spread

6 not-rated reviews aren't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 25 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (25)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    Hindustan Times

    Film review ·

    Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt's Gully Boy, an underdog story shining a light on India's incipient hip-hop subculture, is the first great Hindi film of 2019 and a rousing celebration of spunk.
  2. Top critic

    IBNLive

    Film review ·

    Without overtly drawing attention to it, she makes a strong feminist statement in Safeena's character, some sharp observations about minorities, and also about the world we live in and the place in it for those with lesser means. That's a lot to pack into a film that works on surface level as a highly entertaining musical drama. I came away with an appreciation for Indian hip-hop, which frankly I knew nothing about until now. I loved this film from inside my bones.
  3. Top critic

    Indian Express

    Film review ·

    ...this is a film to enjoy, both in the seeing, and in the hearing: the soundtrack and the 'songs' leap off the screen. In today's India, to bring a Murad and Safeena, their Muslim-ness a matter-of-fact statement, into centre-stage, to give traction to those who live on the wrong side of the tracks, is an act of bravery. I'll take them any day over an overused Raj-and-Raveena. 'Inka time aa gaya'. Rap along.
  4. Top critic

    NDTV

    Film review ·

    In an era of which Bollywood is increasingly passing off pulpy apologies for demagoguery for cinema, Gully Boy could have been a fitting riposte. It just doesn't go far enough to pose discomfiting questions in keeping with the art of the street rapper. But all said and done, Gully Boy can be whole-heartedly commended for its craft, fascinating characters and RANVEER SINGH. He absolutely kills the slow-burning rapper act. What's more, he does with a lot of energy to spare.
  5. Bollywood Life

    Film review ·

    Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt deliver a knock out film that hits the right notes with performances that soar, not just fly
  6. KoiMoi

    Film review ·

    Every Frame Breathes Life Into Our Souls! Gully Boy is a once-in-a-blue-moon film! There rarely comes a film that perfects almost everything.
  7. Firstpost

    Film review ·

    For a film that is about protest music, the music of anger and rebellion, Gully Boy is surprisingly quiet and extremely funny. Its understatedness and sense of humour are among the multiple reasons why it is also one of the best films to emerge from the Hindi cinemascape in recent times.
  8. Masala

    Film review ·

    A man sits silently, locked in the darkness of a car as the world outside blares and glitters under the glow of the night sky and fairy lights. It's a defining moment. One where the man is determined to fight the social dictums to swap his unglamorous life for a more celebrated one.  There are no words spoken. Yet, a lot is said. Therein lies the beauty of director Zoya Akhtar's work.
  9. Mid-Day

    Film review ·

    Gully Boy is a new kind of 'Angry Young Man' movie, in effect - seamlessly merging sub-culture with pop mainstream.
  10. Times Of India

    Film review ·

    There's a reason the film feels legit and that's down to the fact that real rap artistes worked on this film. The treatment and the visual finesse of the film are at par with anything you've seen from Hollywood or anywhere around the world. The rap battles shown in the film are riveting and an inspired piece of writing. The problem with the film though is it's length, which stretches to two-and-a-half hours, but the emotional deftness and clap-worth dialogues add the right amount of gusto and keep you totally engaged. This is a film that deserves an encore. And in true rap style, let's just say… yeh Gully Boy hard hai bhai!
  11. Bollywood Hungama

    Film review ·

    GULLY BOY is a fun and moving entertainer that will surely resonate with the youth and multiplex-frequenting urban audiences. At the box office, the four day weekend will ensure that it emerges a profitable venture for its makers.
  12. India Glitz

    Film review ·

    Gully Boy is a piece of must watch – the movie is inspiring as it tells the tale of an underdog who goes out all big. Watch it in theatres to get a glimpse of upcoming rap culture in the country.
  13. Mumbai Mirror

    Film review ·

    Parallels with Eminem's 8 Mile are inevitable because both rappers battle difficult domestic lives to explode on stage with material that relays their ordeals. But this gully boy proves that you don't need to be slim or shady as long as you can rhyme with reason.
  14. NowRunning

    Film review ·

    A brilliant film after a long time, and you take Ranveer Singh back into your heart as you think, 'Apna time aayega' (my time will come!).
  15. Deccan Chronicle

    Film review ·

    While this kind of story feels a bit familiar, its excellent music & sense of realism along with the fine performances make up for it.
  16. India Today

    Film review ·

    The main star of the film is its music. The many artistes who are credited for the music of the film do a classy job with the soundtrack. If Ranveer Singh is the life of Gully Boy, the music is its soul. The lyrics, the beats all scream revolution. Azadi. Hindustan gets its asli hip hop in a Bollywood film. In all, it fails to rise. Apna time aayega. But today is not the day.

From our readers

Audience reviews (7)

13 ratings · user score 8.5

  1. Tejas NairFeb 2019
    6/10

    Director Zoya Akhtar somehow always manages to make even the most humdrum of stories into ravishing pieces of art. Gully Boy is no different even if you look at it from the perspective of a person who hopes to see social issues being addressed through cinema. For it also marvelously hints at issues such as social status and inequality and wealth and even (Islamic) polygamy to an extent. The excellent camera work by Jay Oza will make you want to watch it for the second time on the big screen despite of this review. And that is the kind of movies that Akhtar makes, only to find them being watched and rewatched by cinephiles years from now.<br /> <br /> Gully Boy gets everything right and pumps up your mood regardless of what position you are in in your own life, but just thinking about it a few hours after you have seen it will make you realize that it just falls short of becoming something that can be dubbed as extraordinary.<br />

  2. 10/10

    An exceptional combination of mainstream and indie cinema. On the surface the film seems to be just about rapper from the streets and his rise to fame. But it's so much more. Every character is given an equal importance and is brought to justice by the brilliant performances of the cast. This is what makes it everyone's film. Worth a second watch not just for entertainment but for the fine little details that may go unnoticed the first time around.

  3. Ajay lawyerFeb 2019
    7/10

    very realistic, al d cast in the movie , done their best

  4. priyanka goelFeb 2019
    9/10

    Gully boy is an overwhelmed movie, not only the rapping but the life style of an gully boy has been greatly scripted, after watcing the movie i just feel we leave in a fairy tail world where we live complaining about petty things and on the other side a different poor world is serviving in conjested but well organised homes, the rapping lyrics which potrayed the life style and inheritated pain of murad and his mother. Another impacting song was when the owner of the car cries and murad is feels helpless , as the differnces of class not accepting his courtesy towards them, this i think many of us have gone through. And also the ranveer singh nailed with his acting and Alia too. Overal impressive movie , living in real world , i missed to comment how murad took all critisim and without saying a word he spoke with his work. Thanks for the wonderful movie😊

  5. Shivam ParchaApr 2019
    10/10

    Fabulous movie watch well done work in gully boy team

  6. Midhun KrishnanJun 2019
    10/10

    Amazing performance by RANVIR and ALIA

Credits

Cast & crew

Cast

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