From Amruta Subhash, Siddhant Chaturvedi To Vijay Varma: Meet The Real Stars Of Gully Boy
A team of terrific actors is what is needed to craft a good story into a movie and Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti have their game on point. Gully Boy is being touted as one of the finest films of the decade and the victory has been possible because of all the actors who contributed their talent in making Gully Boy what it is today.
Casting director Nandini Srikent deserves a special credit for bringing such powerhouses of talent onboard for the story that is much more than just a 'rags to riches' story.
Gully Boy belongs as much to Moeen as much as it belongs to Murad. Irrespective of how much screen-time they have earned in the film, the contribution of each and every actor deserves applause.
The story has its heart in the right place and to make each and every character alive on the silver screen, there are some of the most talented actors who definitely deserve validation for their contribution. It was delightful to see how actors like Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Kalki Koechlin took a back seat as they let the whole ensemble cast drive this car which promises a smooth ride without bumps in the road.
The film is much more than the musical journey of Murad, each and every character in the film have added value to Gully Boy. Let's make you meet the stars of Gully Boy who prove that ensemble cast definitely plays a major part in making a film complete.
1. Siddhant Chaturvedi AKA Sher
Who would have thought that someone would share the screen space with Ranveer Singh (who in himself is a powerhouse of talent) and get noticed and appreciated for his contribution to the film?
Well, Siddhant is a surprise package that most of you would love to see in Gully Boy. With screen time that almost equals to what Ranveer Singh has got, Chaturvedi is a revelation in himself. As MC Sher, he is not just a supportive mentor to Murad (Ranveer Singh) but his own character is so strong and endearing that you root for him as much as you root for Murad. Critics and fans are all praises for Siddhant.
Not many know that Chaturvedi almost became a Chartered accountant but life had different plans and he landed himself a role in Zoya Akhtar's ambitious project. In 2016, he was roped in for Life Sahi Hai, a web series by Pyaar Ka Punchnama director Luv Ranjan. Then after a few ads (that includes a Coca Cola Ad), not many know that he was also a part of an Emmy Nominated Show For Amazon Prime. He played the role of a young cricketer on Inside Edge, a web series based on a fictional T20 cricket team that streamed on Amazon Prime in 2017. Gully Boy is definitely a big turning point in his life and it would be interesting to see how he paves his way ahead in films!
2. Vijay Raaz AKA Aftab Ahmed/Murad's Father
Excel Entertainment
Vijay Raaz needs no introduction. The actor began his career in 1999 and in two decades, he has established himself as a promising actor. With Gully Boy, he has again managed to grab attention. While his character is complicated and would make you want to dislike him, his sincerity as an actor and performer is what would make you want to offer your heart to him. In the scenes where he confronts his son and family, Raaz' superiority as a performer is notable! He slips in perfectly in the ensemble cast and adds value to the story in his own way.
3. Amruta Subhash as Razia Ahmed/Murad's mother
For starters, Amruta Subhash is an Indian actress who works in Marathi films, television and theater industry. She is also a playback singer, composer and has released her private albums. While she is fondly remembered for her lead role in the television show Awaghachi Sansaar that aired on Zee Marathi, Gully Boy will surely be remembered as a turning point in her career.
As Murad's mother, she portrays helplessness and rage with just moderation that your heart goes out for her. She balances her craft as she portrays a helpless wife and a doting mother with so much finesse that you know the role belonged only to her!
4. Vijay Verma AKA Moeen
The friendship between Moeen and Murad is one of the key highlights of the film. While they share a love-hate relationship but the jail scene where Moeen saves Murad from the cops is what will make you want to shed a tear or two. The sincerity of their friendship is so endearing and fresh that you want to root for them till the very end.
Vijay started his acting journey as a theatre artiste in his hometown Hyderabad. After acting in plays, he decided to move to Pune for two years to get a formal education in acting at FTII.
After FTII, he shifted his base to Bombay in search of acting work. He landed himself his first acting job with Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK's short film titled Shor which was highly acclaimed at festivals and won the Best Short Film at the MIAAC festival, New York that year. He was also seen in Big B and Taapsee Pannu's Pink. With Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy, we are sure the road ahead looks brighter than ever for Verma.
5. Sheeba Chaddha as Safeena's mother/Hamida
In Gully Boy, she plays Safeena/Alia Bhatt's mother and even in limited screen-time, she doesn't fail in leaving an impact. In one of the confrontations scenes between Safeena's mother, Sheeba manages to add such a depth to her character that you know that she was meant to play the role. She owns every character that she takes up and that's definitely her biggest strength.
7. Nakul Sahdev AKA Salman/Murad's friend
Sharing screen space with Alia Bhatt and Ranveer is not just an achievement for Nakul but in his scenes, he is so convincing and endearing that it leaves you wanting for more. Be it the scene when he meets Safeena for marriage or how he rushes to tell Murad about the whole incident, the future definitely looks bright for Sahdev. An actor and producer, he is popularly known for Mod (2011), Dali (2019) and Rubaroo (2016).
8. Srishti Shrivastava as Albina Dadekar
The dialogue promo of Gully Boy dropped a name Albina, which becomes a point of heated argument between Safeena and Murad. Well, Albina is none other than actress Srishti Srivastava, who is a popular face on the web. Apart from featuring in a lot of viral videos by TVF, she is also a theatre-artist who also plays an important role in Manav Kaul's popular play Chuhal.
Srishti recently took to Instagram and thanked director Zoya Akhtar for including her in Gully Boy. Wearing her Gully Boy costume, she wrote, ¡°Apna time aayega. Thank you for Albina¡±
9. Vijay Maurya Ateeq, Murad's uncle (Also the dialogue writer of Gully Boy)
Apart from playing Murad's nasty and hot-headed uncle (Maamu) in Gully Boy, his credentials go way beyond that his acting skills.
#GullyBoy reading w/@RanveerOfficial #ZoyaAkthar #BehindTheScenes pic.twitter.com/UGbP4GtO9b
¡ª YRF Talent (@yrftalent) January 12, 2018
Vijay Maurya is also the real star of Zoya Akhtar's film as he has written the dialogues for the film. From feisty Safeena's dialogues that will leave you laughing really hard to the emotional dialogues that Murad exchanges with his mother, Maurya's dialogues is also the strength of the film.
The film belongs to each one of these actors as much as it belongs to Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. Because each one of them are 'bahot hi hard'!