Entertainment / Ranveer Singh’s Gully Boy gets ‘loudest cheers in 20 years’ at Berlinale

Ranveer Singh’s Gully Boy has wowed all -- from fans to the artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival. See all the responses here. Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt’s Gully Boy is getting at its Berlinale screening is anything to go by, then we can say that Zoya Akhtar’s directorial is a winner. The social media has raving about Ranveer’s performance, with many calling it his best.

The latest being Cameron Bailey, artistic director at the Toronto International Film Festival. Tweeting after watching the film with the film’s lead cast and Zoya, Cameron tweeted that he has never seen such a response to a film in his 20 years at Berlin.

If that wasn’t enough, Variety in its review of the film, reserved fulsome praise for both the film and its lead actor. Jay Weissberg, writing in his review, mentioned that while the film could sound ‘derivative’, its “high-wattage screen chemistry” and “inclusive social message” coupled with slick production quality, made it a standout work.

He wrote: “A Bollywood movie about a rapper from the slums may sound derivative, but what does that matter when ‘Gully Boy’ revels in high-wattage screen chemistry and an inclusive social message, all served up in a slickly enjoyable production showcasing Ranveer Singh’s many charms? Zoya Akhtar’s most accomplished film to date is a mainstream rap musical about a Muslim guy from working-class Mumbai determined to break free from the strictures of expectation and class, all served up with generous helpings of deftly written hip-hop lyrics and a largely well-woven narrative that’s so likable one can almost forgive how the script barely bothers to resolve an important plot element.”