Zoya Akhtar on making Gully Boy: If you can emotionally resonate with the character, I think you're home

Zoya Akhtar has often been lauded for her understated filmmaking that brings about the issues and problems which most families face in an urban set up. Recently talking at the announcement of Tape Cast, the director spoke about her upcoming projects and certain issues in the industry which bother her. [caption id=“attachment_2727698” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Javed and Zoya Akhtar (left)[/caption] Zoya ventures into Gully Boy next, which features Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. Loosely based on the life of rapper Divine, the film will be her second collaboration with Singh, after Dil Dhadakne Do. Talking about the film, Akhtar mentioned that she loves the genre of music as an important element in filming and in this case, it is almost the propeller of the narrative. The underdog factor was also a plus for Zoya. Contrary to popular opinion, she mentioned how the lead pair of Bhatt and Singh was hardly unique. Zoya stated that during the scripting, both parts by the leads were written with them in mind. Zoya admitted that though many will not relate to the kind of background that the leads hail from, an emotional investment into the narrative will do the trick. Speaking about the issues that make her think, as a filmmaker and also what she may contribute towards it, Zoya mentioned that any film made by a person is a stepping stone towards putting out consciousness into the world. “But if you can empathise with a character and if you can emotionally resonate with that character and understand their emotional journey, I think you are home. If you can recognize that in people, I think you can contribute to their story,” added the director. Akhtar defined the platform of filmmaking as an opportunity to change what many had issues with and rectify them. Akhtar mentioned how often most technicians do not get paid enough for the amount of labour put in. She further explained that for a film to do well, the entire team is needed to come on board and give it their best shot.