Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 19, 2017)

Before he kicks off his next, the Zoya Akhtar-directed musical-drama, Gully Boys, Ranveer Singh has been internalising his rapper turn by dressing up like one, hanging out with hip-hop and punk-rock artistes and listening to rap music while working out and travelling. Often he breaks into a verse on his own too.

While he is currently filming Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period-romance, Padmavati, Ranveer recorded a single and shot for a music video with four young rappers — Canada-based Spitsfire aka Nitin Mishra, Mumbai’s Chaitanya Sharma aka Slow Cheetah and Kunal Pandagle aka Kaam Bhaari, and Delhi boy Abhay Prasad, who goes by the rap name Devil the Rhymer.

According to a source close to the development, the music video was shot in a parking lot that was converted into a set. “It’s an underground genre popular with youngsters. The makers and the rappers are hoping that it will find huge support and visibility with Ranveer’s efforts,” the source revealed. “Ranveer personally sifted through thousands of entries in February to pick out the four rappers and has been working with them since March. He also sat in on the edits and contributed his creative inputs. He’s now being regarded as the co-creator.”

Singer Anushka Manchanda, who has co-produced and edited the track with brother Shikhar, told Mirror that Ranveer is committed to every step of the creative process, always open to ideas but also very clear about what he wants.

“Shikhar and I were constantly surprised by him in the studio. As an editor, he lights up the screen for me. Most of the times, commercial music production houses and labels are afraid to back something unfamiliar. We wanted to shake things up, introduce new sounds that are breaking out around the world to our audience here. Ranveer was the perfect artiste for that. He constantly pushes the envelope,” she said.

In February, the actor was pictured meeting rappers Naezy and Divine, whose track, “Mere Gully Main” has inspired Zoya to write a film on the booming rap culture in Mumbai emerging from the city’s chawls. “Next up, Ranveer has promised to deliver this desi rap number that could spawn an entirely new genre in the contemporary Indian music scene,” the source signs off.