Hindi
As ‘Gully Boy’ completes five years, Zoya Akhtar shares her favourite scene with IMDb
Mumbai: Zoya Akhtar’s directorial Gully Boy, inspired by the lives of Indian street rappers DIVINE and Naezy, has reached a significant milestone, celebrating five years of release. The film stars Ranveer Singh as Murad Ahmed, a final-year college student who resides in the Dharavi slums of Mumbai, nurturing a passion for underground rap music. Alongside Singh, the film features Alia Bhatt, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Kalki Koechlin, Vijay Varma, Amruta Subhash, and Vijay Raaz.
In a recent conversation with IMDb marking the five-year anniversary of Gully Boy, Akhtar discussed her favourite scene from the film and highlighted Ranveer’s character, Murad’s predicament of being denied access to certain places in the city. She expressed, “When he (Murad) gets a job as a driver, he’s always seen outside the bungalow. When he drives the lady of the house for a night out, he stands outside the club. He can’t even be near the door. He only has access to the government hospital or the college where he’s a student.”
Elaborating and dissecting Murad’s journey as an artist, she added, “As he evolves as an artist, his access expands. This is the first time he enters the home of someone like Sky (Kalki Koechlin). He’s never been to those high-rise apartments. He finds himself in her restroom and can’t help but notice that it’s the size of his entire home.”
Akhtar also shared insights into the challenges faced while filming this particular scene, mentioning how she struggled to find a suitable location and reached out to her friend Suzanne Khan for assistance. Khan provided a show flat she had designed for a building, where they ultimately shot the scene. Reflecting on the process, Akhtar said, “During rehearsals, we realised there was no running water. So we improvised, starting the scene with him (Singh) wiping his hands. Ranveer improvised by neatly placing the hand towel back, which touched my heart because he didn’t want to disrupt the perfection of the space. Then he proceeds to measure the room, unable to believe that someone has a restroom in their home as big as his entire house. To me, that encapsulates everything—the divide, the disparity, the unfairness. It’s everything.”
Excerpt of Zoya Akthar’s conversation with IMDb:
Hindi
Zee5 and Applause Entertainment team up for whodunnit ‘Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa’
Rajat Kapoor directs star-studded murder mystery streaming from 10 April.
MUMBAI: Zee5 is serving up another killer collaboration and this time, the murder mystery comes with a generous side of dark humour and family dysfunction. The streaming platform has partnered with Applause Entertainment and Mithya Talkies to bring Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa, a fresh, twisted whodunnit written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker and actor Rajat Kapoor. The film will stream exclusively on Hindi Zee5 from 10 April.
The movie reimagines the classic murder mystery genre with a contemporary, darkly comic edge. It revolves around a group of friends and family who smile, drink, and celebrate together until the silence snaps and long-buried secrets spill out. The stellar ensemble cast includes Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Waluscha De Sousa, Saurabh Shukla, Chandrachoor Rai, Neil Bhoopalam, Koel Purie, Palomi Ghosh, and Rajat Kapoor himself.
This latest offering continues the successful partnership between Zee5 and Applause Entertainment, which has previously delivered diverse hits such as Mithya, Bloody Brothers, and Jab Khuli Kitaab.
&TV Business Head of hindi Zee5 and chief channel officer Kaveri Das said, “Our collaboration with Applause Entertainment has consistently delivered distinct, high-impact storytelling. Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa is a natural progression, reinforcing our focus on genre-led content with a compelling whodunnit premise and a strong ensemble cast.”
Applause Entertainment business head for movies Sunil Chainani added, “This film adds yet another compelling layer to our slate with Rajat Kapoor’s unmistakable voice.”
Rajat Kapoor shared, “What interested me was not just the mechanics of a whodunnit, but the emotional violence that precedes physical violence. These are people who smile at each other, but there’s so much that is not said.”
The film promises razor-sharp writing, layered performances, and simmering tension, inviting viewers not just to solve the crime but to unravel the complex relationships at its heart.
If you love a good murder mystery served with wit and emotional depth, Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa looks set to be your next addictive watch. Mark your calendars, the whodunnit drops on Hindi Zee5 from 10 April.
