Murad, an underdog, struggles to convey his views on social issues and life in Dharavi through rapping. His life changes drastically when he meets a local rapper, Shrikant alias MC Sher.
A lively, crowd-pleasing underdog drama with real energy in its performances, music, and social texture. It’s familiar in structure, but the rap performances and Mumbai setting give it enough personality and urgency to stand out.
Best for
viewers who like inspirational rise-of-the-underdog stories
fans of music-driven dramas
people interested in class-conscious urban stories
audiences open to Bollywood style and emotion
Skip if
you want a highly original narrative shape
you dislike sentimental or formula-driven sports/music biopics
you prefer understated realism over heightened drama
Overview
Gully Boy works best as a fusion of coming-of-age drama and performance film. It uses rap not just as a soundtrack choice but as a way to externalize frustration, ambition, and class anger, giving the movie a pulse that keeps it moving even when the story follows a familiar underdog arc.
Worth noting
The film’s biggest strength is its sense of place. Dharavi, family pressure, and the social distance between worlds are all rendered with enough specificity to make Murad’s struggle feel grounded rather than generic. Ranveer Singh carries the film with charisma and vulnerability, while the supporting cast helps the emotional beats land.
Bottom line
It does lean into inspirational-movie rhythms, and some turns are predictable, but the music, performances, and cultural detail make it easy to recommend. If you respond to stories about finding a voice against the odds, this is an engaging and often genuinely stirring watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (4★) · 198 likes
A Passage to India: Dawn of the Wobble
Before becoming this Indian Fabio, Ranveer Singh was this Indian Marshall Mathers, a promising rapper from the slums of Bombay with a love for Nas (who apparently also executive produced), who uses this medium to express his feelings about social inequality and his life in an abusive household.
It was pretty good to see Singh and Bhatt together, though they don’t share as much of the screen time as in the previous… more
russman (3.5★) · 183 likes
8 Kilometer
Michael James (4★) · 146 likes
A fresh n entertaining musical drama from Zoya Akthar, that strikes the right chord with its fascinating characters, world setting and soundtrack, despite of the familiar underdog structure. The rap musical portions are just outstanding, with fantastic rhythm and impactful lyrics. The subtext on class, social and cultural divides are seamlessly infused into the narrative. Ranveer Singh rocks the show as Murad and is well supported by Alia Bhatt and Siddhant Chaturvedi with rock solid performances. It is one thoroughly enjoyable watch that is highly recommended.
krupa (4★) · 146 likes
its a sweet love story about murad and mc sher
Ivan Nāgar (3.5★) · 98 likes
In a recent interview after the film had released, Zoya described Gully Boy as a film that was bigger and going beyond just 'religion' or 'parental dissent'. This was strange to me, strange because in it's finest moments Gully Boy is very much about these little critiques, whether its about parental conservatism in India (which stems from religious orthodoxy) or the way in which religious traditions (in particular working class Muslim households in this case) feel so regressive in today's… more In a recent interview after the film had released, Zoya described Gully Boy as a film that was bigger and going beyond just 'religion' or 'parental dissent'. This was strange to me, strange because in it's finest moments Gully Boy is very much about these little critiques, whether its about parental conservatism in India (which stems from religious orthodoxy) or the way in which religious traditions (in particular working class Muslim households in this case) feel so regressive in today's… more