Boys at prep: Ranveer raps, Arjun brushes up on dialect

By Nichola

on November 30, 2017

Ranveer Singh is learning the intricacies of rapping under Mumbai rapper Divine. It is part of his prep for Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy, which is inspired by the lives of rappers Naezy and Divine. As he picks up the techniques, Divine is impressed by the actor’s genuine love for hip-hop. Apparently, the two are listening to music and jamming together. Ranveer is getting a sense of the nuances and styles, as he studies various hip-hop artists and their repertoire. And apparently he already knows all the renowned rappers, and their forte already.

According to Divine, Singh is also giving singing a shot occasionally. “Ranveer is one of us when he is with me,” he reveals, adding, “He knows our lingo, styles, and slangs. He is keeping us on our toes!” Now that, we can well believe!

The film, which will also star Alia Bhatt, will tap an unexplored realm of Indian rap as well. As both Divine and Ranveer listen to different artists and choose the sounds suitable for Gully Boys, there is something of a mutual admiration society springing up between the two. Nice!

Arjun Kapoor is hard at work as well, prepping for his role of a Haryanvi police officer in Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar. No rapping here; the actor has to learn a new dialect and it is not easy at all, he says. Incidentally, he had picked up Bihari for the film Half Girlfriend, but he is struggling to get the dialect right, now. “It is difficult,” he admitted, adding, “I have been saying this for the past last month. I have done more prep with Dibakar (Banerjee) sir than the shoot. My prep went on for three months and shoot for two months. That automatically shows you how much time we put in.”

Additionally, while he was in Delhi, he spent time with the cops there and with their families too, including attending cadet training, and meeting special force people. Director Dibakar Banerjee had wanted him “to dive into the character,” and he has done exactly that. Very nice!