The hat tip to Mumbai rappers Divine and Naezy could not have been more pronounced in the latest song from Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy.
The 2015 hit Mere Gully Mein, rapped by Divine and Naezy, has been recreated for Akhtar’s film. The video for the version in Gully Boy, released on Tuesday, closely follows the turn of events in the original video, in which Divine and Naezy decide to collaborate over a phone call. Seconds later, they are performing on the streets along with their crews.
In the film version, Ranveer Singh’s Murad and Siddhant Chaturvedi’s Sher are two rappers who replicate Naezy and Divine’s song and moves from the original video. A filmmaking crew shoots Murad and Sher as they rap through the nooks and crannies of Dharavi, giving a behind-the-scenes view of what went behind creating Divine and Naezy’s viral hit from 2015.
The new version’s vocals are credited to Singh, Divine and Naezy. Sez on the Beat, who produced the original song, is credited as a composer alongside Divine and Naezy. Ankit Tewari is the music supervisor. Co-starring Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Vijay Raaz, Vijay Verma and Amruta Subhash, the film is set for a February 14 release.