Zoya Akhtar’s
Gully Boy
, starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, is the one of the most anticipated movies of 2019. The teaser of the film was released on 4 January and featured Ranveer effortlessly rapping the song ‘Asli Hip Hop’. Said to be loosely inspired by street rappers Vivian Fernandes aka Divine and Naved Shaikh aka Naezy, one would think that the actor had undergone some training for his role. However, Divine, in an interview with Mid-Day
, said that he did not want to take credit for Ranveer’s performance. [caption id=“attachment_5189161” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]
Ranveer Singh (top) and Alia Bhatt in Gully Boy. Image from Instagram[/caption] “I would just hang around in the studio, while he would do his (own) thing. I didn’t train him,” the rapper told Mid-Day. Speaking further about Ranveer’s portrayal of a rapper from the streets of Mumbai, Divine said that the actor seems to have given his all to the role. He also hoped that Gully Boy would draw attention to the underground rap scene. Acknowledging the work Zoya has put in the making of the film, he said “her effort is paying dividends.” The film, that also stars Kalki Koechlin, will premiere at the
Berlin International Film Festival
. It marks Zoya’s reunion with Ranveer after Dil Dhadakne Do and Kalki after Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. It is scheduled to release in cinemas on 14 February.
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