After playing flamboyant policeman Sangram Bhalerao in Simmba, Ranveer Singh turns aspiring rapper in Gully Boy. The Zoya Akhtar directorial sees Ranveer perform songs from the film himself. According to Mid-day, the actor sought to bring authenticity to the role and took up the challenge of learning how to rap. He trained with the original ‘gully boys’, rappers Naezy and Divine, for 10 months to hone his skills.
According to a source quoted by the publication, Ranveer has performed four songs in the film, including a reimagined version of Divine and Naezy’s hit Meri Gully Mein. "Though the songs could have easily been sung by professional rappers, Ranveer thought lending his voice to them would render authenticity to his character. He worked for 10 months on his singing skills by exchanging notes with Divine and Naezy, among other rappers. The two helped him understand which words to emphasise on, and how to make the singing more impactful," the source said.
Commenting on his role, Ranveer said, "I play a quiet character who channelises his rage in his music. To construct a performance by being reactive to my surroundings took months of prep."
‘Apna Time Aayega’, the first song from the film, has been released and sees Ranveer in character rapping about his ambitions to make it big.
Directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Tiger Baby and Excel Entertainment, Gully Boy also stars Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin and Vijay Raaz. It releases on 14 February.
(With inputs from Mid-day)
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