The song ‘Apna Time Aayega’ (meaning ‘my day will come’) reverberated at the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Bollywood as Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh rapped away, much to the delight of the packed audience, at the world premiere of ‘Gully Boy’ at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival.
“Packed house with the loudest, most passionate cheers. Berlinale gets a taste of the crazy Indian film fan at the world premiere of Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’,” tweeted Smriti Kiran, creative director, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, who was present at the screening on Saturday night.
According to Cameron Bailey, artistic director, Toronto International Film Festival, a regular at the Berlinale, ‘Gully Boy’ elicited the “biggest cheers” he had heard in “20+ years” at the annual film festival.
Berlinale officials were grateful to Singh and the film’s cast and crew for leaving an impact that will be hard for the film fest crowd to forget.
“Thank you Ranveer, we had a blast last night, you were absolutely amazing,” read a post on the official Twitter handle of the fest.
Singh, known for his effervescence and exuberance, exhibited why he’s best tagged as Bollywood’s powerhouse of energy. He rapped ‘Gully Boy’ track ‘Apna Time Aayega’ to give the audience a taste of the film about street rappers of Mumbai.
For the actor himself, “it was a truly memorable night”.
His co-star Alia Bhatt, looking striking in a Prabal Gurung ensemble, also made her presence felt as she engaged with the audience. Several videos from the night that have gone viral on social media.
Initial reviews of the film are positive.
Directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the banner of Excel Entertainment, the film is a story inspired by the slum rappers of Dharavi, Mumbai.
‘Gully Boy’ releases in the UAE on February 14.
