Those twinkle in the eyes, mouth agape - when he is star-struck, found his own call, as he watches MC Sher (a role, made fabulously alive by Siddhant) live on stage; that set of expression alone is enough to describe how 'real' this movie is. How absorbed Ranveer is into the Gully Boy, Murad's skin. I am not a follower of this genre of music, but still, each track, including this, gave me goosebumps of the cinematic excellence that was unfolding in front of my eyes. As it says at one place 'gives sukun to your ears'.
Am all heart for Zoya, when she is out of her 'rich-porn' zone. Yes, no ZNMD or DDD for me, for she is way better in LBC instead. And her style of unfolding the crucial scenes with minimal background score and right camera angles wins me over yet again in Gully Boy. Just look at the long shot of a car, passing thru the rich alleys of Mumbai, while camera follows two characters sitting in a car, having huge contracts - socioeconomically. The voice over plays - Doori. And in the final line of the poem, a long shot frames both of them. Oooof.
If Ranveer is the one who gives all heart to this movie, its Alia who puts jaan into it. For the running time, she makes you forget you are watching this girl, instead you are with Safeena. Her body language alone speaks tons of words, how she is at so comfort when she is settled with Murad. The tremors are felt around her when the relationship gets shaken for a while, and still she wants to show she's all okay, but that-is just a volcano about to erupt. The bus scene is appreciated a lot, but what about the 'call from bathroom' scene? Both, Murad and Safeena know they both are losing it, and the conversation-in the end would collapse both of them, still they continue and then, after sudden end of the call, they realize, something worse has happened. I fear if there wasn't this chemistry, it would have been a totally different movie altogether.
As I said as a first thought, Gully Boy is really a cinematic treat, to be savored again and again.
