The announcement of actor Ranveer Singh's turn as a rapper from the shanties of Mumbai in director Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy has got enough buzz going for the film.
In the latest trailer announcement, the actor shows his rapping skills with some 'Asli Hip Hop' to add some more weight to the expectations from his performance. The video also announces that the trailer will be released on 9 January 2019.
The video offers some background into Singh's character and his surroundings. Based on the lives of rappers Naezy and Divine, the character is an underdog from the slums who dreams of being a successful rapper. The actor seems to have captured the quiet intensity, a stark departure from his manic antics in 2018 films Padmaavat or Simmba, as he portrays the young rapper from the slums.
Ranveer Singh says he would have been jealous if Gully Boy had gone to another actor
Singh is not alone, as Alia Bhatt and Kalki Koechlin play the female protagonists fighting their own battles. The two seem to be playing key muses who help Singh's character find his groove in the world.
The video captures the stark, but intimate style of filmmaking that Akhtar has adopted in the film. The visuals weave in the dingy bylanes.
The highlight of the video though is Singh's unflappable rapping. While the actor might not have the speed of a professional, he does have incredible control. The rap itself is built around the theme of the underdog refusing to die away, fighting against all odds. Singh's intensity, and voice, add authenticity.
The actor has been working on his rapping, by voicing for a Jack & Jones commercial back in 2017. He was also spotted getting together with some rappers during the shoot schedule for Gully Boy.
The rap is composed and written by Spitfire, with Singh, joined by D’EVIL, Nexus, Rahul Raahi, Emiway Bantai, D-cypher, BeatRAW, and Big Sid in the rapping portions.
The trailer to Gully Boy will be released on 9 January, while the film is set to releases on 15 February 2019.