In 2014, while editing Dil Dhadakne Do, Zoya Akhtar was shown ‘Aafat’, a track by rapper Naezy aka Naved Shaikh. “It blew my mind,” she says. “It was so street, real, and I was like I have to meet this guy.” Musician and friend Ankur Tewari arranged a meeting, and so began a journey that saw Akhtar and her screenwriting partner Reema Kagti do extensive interviews with rappers, attend their gigs and meet their families, friends and girlfriends. The experience would inspire Gully Boy, Akhtar’s fourth feature, set in Mumbai’s street rap music scene. “You can’t put everything in, but you get a feel, you get their politics and their spirit,” says Akhtar.
After Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Dil Dhadakne Do, in which Akhtar followed characters from the upper…
