Alia Bhatt shared this image. (Image courtesy: aliaabhatt)
Highlights
- Gully Boy is India's official entry for the Oscars
- The film features Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles
- The film has been directed by Zoya Akhtar
It is a proud moment for Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt as their film Gully Boy has been selected as India's official entry in the category of 'Best International Feature Film' for the 92nd Oscars. After the announcement was made by the film's director Zoya Akhtar's brother Farhan on Saturday, Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt reacted to the news and said that they are "thrilled" that their film has been selected as India's entry to the Academy Awards this year. Expressing gratitude towards the Film Federation of India and the members of the jury including Aparna Sen, Supran Sen and Anindya Dasgupta, Ranveer Singh issued a statement on social media: "We are so thrilled that Gully Boy has been selected as India's official entry to the 92nd Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category."
"Thank you to the Film Federation of India, Aparna Sen, Supran Sen, Anindya Dasgupta, members of the jury and big congratulations to our spectacular cast and crew," his statement read. Alia Bhatt shared the same statement on her social media profiles and wrote: "Bohot Hard"
This year, the selection committee was lead by actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen. Gully Boy was zeroed in from a list of 27 films by the jury members. Gully Boy showcases the story of an aspiring rapper Murad (played by Ranveer Singh), who dreams of making it big in the Indian music industry. Alia plays Ranveer's love interest in the film.
And, here's what Farhan Akhtar tweeted:
Speaking to NDTV, Alia Bhatt said that the film is "really special" for her and she "hopes and wishes" that Gully Boy "make it to the nomination and then win." She said: "Gully Boy as a film is really special to me. What's even more special is that it has had such a long run - after releasing in February, it won at the Melbourne Film Festival then it was also shown in Japan. Now, it's been selected as India's official entry for the Academy. So, hereon, I just hope, pray and wish that we make it to the nomination and then win. This is a first and it's a big deal for us. As a team, we are very excited."
Gully Boy has proved itself in the international arena also. It has won the Best Film Award at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IIFM) this year and also received the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award at the 23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) in South Korea. The film also premiered at the Berlin Film Festival.
Ranveer Singh, who is ecstatic at the success of the film, said that Gully Boy will always be "one of his most personal" films. He added that he is "proud of" Zoya Akhtar as Gully Boy is her "tiger baby," reported news agency PTI. "Gully Boy echoed the voice of the streets, it will always be one of my most personal films. It's a proud moment for our entire team. I'm especially proud of and happy for Zoya! Gully Boy is her (Tiger) baby and I am blessed to have been a part of her maverick vision," Ranveer Singh was quoted as saying by PTI.
Gully Boy, which is inspired by the lives and work of rappers Divine and Naezy, also stars Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Raaz and Vijay Varma in main roles.
With inputs from PTI