I was born to do 'Gully Boy': Ranveer Singh

Gully Boy sees Singh as an aspiring rapper from the slums of Mumbai. The 33-year-old had to work with real-life rappers to prepare for his role. “It was great fun being among the real boys. Interacting with them is the fondest memory; working on the dialogues and collaborating was an experience!" he said. "When somebody told me about Gully Boy, I told them it is my film. If any other actor had been a part of it instead of me, I would have burned with jealousy. I was born to do Gully Boy and I knew only I can pull this character off."

The film also features Alia Bhatt and Kalki Koechlin, among others. It is inspired by the life of Divine and Naezy (Naved Shaikh), who are underground rappers from Mumbai.




But Akhtar recently said that it is a fictional story. The Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara film-maker said, “This is not a biopic. This is a completely fictional story; Divine and Naezy and their music inspire it. They were the people who took me into their lives and showed me how to do it. It's not a biopic but a fiction drama.”

She added, “When I was editing  Dil Dhadkne Do in 2014, my editor showed me a video of an artiste called Naezy who was 21. He had put up a song called Aafat. That’s the first time I saw real and authentic rap - what now is called as Gully Rap. It just stuck in my head and from that moment, till now, has taken me on a journey to make this film.”

Gully Boy is slated to release on February 14.

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