#Gully boy true story driver#

Instead, Sooni gives them both girlfriends (of sorts) as if to clarify that ballet does not equal to being gay. The fact that these boys have chosen a dance form that for years has been perceived as a feminine dance form, is never addressed at all. Dance, especially ballet, is still not considered a respectable Р В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р вЂ™Р’ВmasculineР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС› choice for a man to pursue. The problem is not just that making a living through dance is difficult or that itР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s Р В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р вЂ™Р’ВharaamР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›. Which is perhaps the elephant in the room that never gets addressed. Is it the discipline it demands, is it the elegance of the movements? Is it the fact that not too many men choose it? You never feel the exhilaration of an Р В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р вЂ™Р’ВApna time ayegaР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС› because Sooni never tries to find any threads to tie an Indian social setup to a dance form thatР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s not only western but also perceived as elitist and feminine. Especially considering Nishu canР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›t even pronounce ballet when he first joins. Yeh Ballet never really explains to us why these two boys are so drawn to ballet as a dance form. The film Gully Boy which told a similar story of a boy from Dharavi chose rap and hip hop, a music form that seemed organically connected to the protagonistР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s emotional state. It also doesnР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›t help that ballet is still a fairly alien dance form to Indians.

So when Asif tells his friend that he has taken to ballet like a chewing gum that gets firmly stuck in hair, you find it hard to feel his passion.

Nishu is seen cleaning bathrooms, and Asif loses a friend before gaining perspective, but these moments of struggle flit by too quickly. ItР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s not entirely impossible, especially in a city like Mumbai where opportunity is more democratic, but still itР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s the first amongst the many situations where Sooni eases obstacles for her protagonists, never really allowing them to hit rock bottom before turning on the light at the end of the tunnel. The two meet when AsifР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s older brother, who delivers pizzas to the dance academy, finds him a spot, while Nishu is spotted by a manager at the dance school and given a fee discount in lieu of his talent. Interestingly, the film opens with a song that has the lyrics, Mumbai ka king kaun (who is the king of Mumbai), a definite hat tip to Bhikhu Mhatre and cult classic film Satya where a man from the slums rises to become a powerful man in Mumbai. Nishu is passionate about dance and is first seen participating in a dance reality show while Asif is happy just dancing with his buddies in an open area outside Worli koliwada.

#Gully boy true story driver#

Their fathers are a taxi driver (Vijay Maurya) and welder (Danish Husain) respectively while NishuР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s mother (Kalyanee Mulay) stitches clothes to supplement the family income. Nishu (Manish Chauhan playing a fictionalised version of himself) and Asif (Achintya Bose playing Amir) are residents of two separate chawls along MumbaiР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s coast. Director Sooni Taraporevala who made a documentary on the two of them in 2017, writes a feature film version of her documentary, fleshing out the backstories and applying religious, social and political filters to this dance drama. Both youngsters ended up being selected by ballet schools in America and are now pursuing their dreams in the dance form. Yeh Ballet, now streaming on Netflix, is based on the true story of Manish Chauhan and Amiruddin Shah, who were discovered by their Israeli ballet teacher Yehuda Maor.