Murad and Moeen; showdown and reconciliation; Gully Boy (2019)

This movie never gets old.

Right from the protagonist’s valiant struggle to incredible character arcs, it delivers on every front.

Well executed scenes make for a great movie and Gully Boy is replete with many such scenes. One such scene took me by storm and made me create an additional category in my blog dedicated to movie scenes. So here goes.

The scene is a mild showdown and exchange of words between Gully Boy Murad and Moeen towards the end of the movie.

After a bitter fight, Murad walks out from his father’s house along with his mother. He finds himself at a difficult juncture in life. In dire need of help, he walks into Moeen’s den. He sees a bunch of young kids packing drugs to be further sold. At this point, Moeen walks in. The next thing you know, Murad has Moeen against the wall, firmly in grasp. What follows is magic on screen sans any special effects. Simply a damn good scene, full of drama and solid dialogue.

Before breaking it down any further, lets revisit the opening of the film which particularly elevates the impact of this scene.

The opening of the film establishes two things:

A. Moeen and Murad are friends. Barring a few areas dealing with conscience, they are usually on the same page. Moeen is on the easy-going side of conscience while Murad is old school. His conscience is more palatable to society.

B. Moeen is a thieving conniving conman of sorts. He steals cars for a living and does some side deals (drugs) to keep the cash flow nice and steady. He is completely secure with himself and goes about his affairs with a certain aura of calm.

Cut to the scene in Moeen’s den.

The collar grabbing against the wall is apt. The moment Murad comes across the scene at Moeen's den, his conscience-sense kicks in. It is his instinct to try and thwart any wrongdoing. He screams as to how he had warned Moeen to keep kids away from drugs. Moeen retorts hard, lashing away furiously. He yells at Murad. He orders him to let go off his collar and instead grab their collars who dumped the kids in a trashcan. To die.

It hits you. Hits you real hard.

Moeen tells Murad that he brings food to the kids and has given them a shelter. A life. There is an uncomfortable silence. Murad is already in a difficult situation. Seeing the kids packing drugs fuels up his frustration and he quells it all by grabbing Moeen by the collar. He realizes that it's his frustration which is making him irate. Already broken, he withdraws, breaks down and sits in a corner. He is truly lost. Down and out.

Moeen then asks the kids to scoot (It is clear Moeen knows the kids well and the kids look up to him as a father figure) and asks Murad as to what is going on. What follows blew me away and made me introspect about a number of things in life.

Muraad: bohot mushkil mein hai Bhai

The viewer expects Moeen to empathise with Murad and be supportive. But instead, this is what he says.

Moeen: Aasan kiske liye hai?

That’s it right there. Perfection on celluloid. The impact this dialogue creates is infinite and Murad’s struggle is multiplied because of this backdrop. It becomes more glorious.

Right there, within 2 seconds, this little play of words created a hundred thoughts in my mind. Human beings in general only look at what they don't possess. Based on this, they convince themselves that their life is difficult. Because they don't possess certain things/comforts many others do. And this unilateral thinking makes their life difficult. All in the head. One's struggle is another's comfort. Not having a paid Netflix plan on a cell phone is one's struggle. Having a cell phone is another's comfort. Without sounding preachy, Moeen and Murad's dialogue-play forced me to introspect about my take on life.

The timing of this scene is very critical and the impact it creates is under rated. The glory of the film is highlighted especially because this scene accentuates Murad's fight. The fight for a better life. Through music.

Apart from stupendous dialogue writing by Vijay Maurya, the real show-stealer of this scene is the exceptional Vijay Varma. His camaraderie with Ranveer Singh and the ability to overpower the protagonist in a movie which is all about the protagonist is outright brilliant. He delivers with aplomb and steals the scene.

For me, this was undoubtedly the best scene of the movie. It elevates and strengthens Murad’s and Moeen’s friendship. Against all odds.