With Gully Boy (2019), filmmaker Zoya Akhtar told a moving story of rap, rebellion, and resilience. That is a tough act to follow. But mid-day has learnt that Akhtar is returning with a sequel to the Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt-starrer. It turns out she will serve as the producer on the sequel, passing the directorial baton to Arjun Varain Singh, who helmed the much-loved Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2023). 

A source reveals, “With Gully Boy, Zoya and Reema [Kagti, co-producer and writer] brought on screen not only the struggles and perseverance of Indian rappers, but also the wide class divide. They felt the theme could lend itself to a sequel as there are many such rich stories to be explored. While Gully Boy saw the journey of Ranveer’s Murad reach its culmination, the second part will trace the story of another rapper.”

The gem is also remembered for spotlighting two talents in Vijay Varma and Siddhant Chaturvedi. This time around, the makers will bring a new cast. “The film is in prep. If all goes as planned, it will roll by the year-end. Arjun showed depth in his directorial debut, and Zoya felt he was the right person to take this franchise ahead,” says another insider.

It all started with casual conversations. While assisting Zoya Akhtar on Gully Boy (2019) and Ghost Stories (2020), Arjun Varain Singh would chat with her about social media, and how it exasperates yet comforts the current generation.

Singh remembers, “At some point, Zoya said, ‘This is a movie.’” That marked the birth of Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, which is winning praise since its release last week.

Writing the Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Adarsh Gourav-starrer took time. As the debutant director sat down to pen the story of three friends whose joys, deceptions and frustrations are all influenced by social media, Akhtar and Reema Kagti joined him as co-writers.

“When Zoya and Reema read the first draft, they said, ‘Throw it in the dustbin and start again.’ I’m blessed they came on board as it allowed the story an outsider’s lens and made it cross-generational. But many things remained true, like two boys and one girl, and the core idea of learning to be authentic to yourself,” Singh says.

The Netflix film is a rare young adult drama in Bollywood, which has ignored the genre in the last few years. “If we look at Dil Chahta Hai [2001] or Wake Up Sid [2009], it’s important that these stories are told by people at that age or who have just passed that age. It’s important to trust younger creators and give them the space to explore [such stories].”

Among the film’s many highlights is its depiction of an online troll. Singh shows the transformation of Gourav’s character from a middle-class boy seeking validation to an anonymous troll. The director says his intention was to capture how a person going about his life turns hateful. “We wanted to show that no one is entirely good or bad. Everything we do is a reaction to circumstances. Even in the case of trolls, their hate is coming from a place of hurt or loneliness.”

Another highlight is the seamless performance of Panday, who is often subjected to online hate. “She has been good in other films as well, but unfortunately has got a lot of hate. The work and energy she put into making this role her own is incredible. Despite all of the hate, people have come to love her. That tells you so much about the fighter she is.”

Adarsh Gourav couldn’t have imagined a better end to 2023. Or a better start to this year. The actor has been winning praise for his honest performance in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, which dropped on Netflix in the last week of December. He has little time to bask in the love, as he is set to begin shooting for the television series, Alien, on which Ridley Scott serves as the executive producer. But movies like Kho Gaye Hum Kahan are hard to shake off, and Gourav acknowledges that it has stayed with him.

“When I moved to the city as a 13-year-old, I felt every beat of what my character Neil feels. I saw how materialism hits you in Mumbai. I felt insecure, inadequate and envious at times,” he recalls.

Through his character, director Arjun Varain Singh explores not only this generation’s hustling spirit, but also their silent frustrations. “I love how the character makes class divide a conversation. The scene where Neil is reprimanded for using the gym shower, and the board reads ‘Staff not allowed’, stuck with me. New buildings in Mumbai have dedicated lifts for staff. I find it humiliating. The quiet rebel in me always uses the staff lift in those buildings. It’s my way of saying a silent ‘F*** you’ to people who think this is okay. We have been desensitized and don’t make enough noise about class divide.”

Gourav’s reason to be part of the Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday-starrer went beyond its powerful script. It was the joy of playing a city-bred character after a spate of small-town boy roles in The White Tiger (2021), Guns & Gulaabs (2023) and more.

“People associate me with violent roles, with characters who belong to Tier-2, -3 cities. It was refreshing to get a character that I associate with myself. I want to portray characters that help me transform emotionally and physically.”

Gourav adds, “Despite being a middle-class family, my parents ensured they took us on vacations, and I’ve travelled across the length and breadth of India. I have changed 13 houses in the city, from Dahisar to Amboli, and went to an upscale school like Podar International School. I have observed a lot of the worlds in India, and rarely get a script where I can’t recognize the character. I’ve seen every character and met them, briefly.”

Doing international projects then helps him go out of the realm of familiarity and embrace unknown characters. He is set to join the unit of Alien in Bangkok later this month. “While working in the West, there are so many things that I have absolutely no idea about. I read up on it and practice my accents in my free time. I might not sound exactly like a person from Chicago, but I work so hard that sometimes I surprise myself by getting into the final shortlist,” he laughs.

“[Before I shot the first schedule] in June, I had never worked with people from London, New Zealand, and America. To live, workshop with them and know that these are your people for the next six months can be daunting. But I met some wonderful people and can’t wait to reunite with them.”

While Zoya Akhtar is in Ooty helming the screen adaptation of Archie comic book series for three star kids, her production Kho Gaye Hum Kahan has got off the ground in Mumbai with another set of Gen-Z actors — Siddhant Chaturvedi, Adarsh Gourav and Ananya Panday. It is heard that Arjun Varain Singh’s directorial debut went on floors last week.

A source reveals, “Tonight, the three actors will shoot at the popular Khar restaurant, Tori. Before this, they were filming in Colaba.”

The movie — written by Akhtar, Singh and Reema Kagti — revolves around three friends in Mumbai who are lost in the virtual world, thus examining the current generation’s obsession with social media. The source adds that the team did extensive readings over the past few weeks.

“The actors also interacted with counsellors, who work with those going through social media anxiety, to get better insight into their characters. The unit will shoot in suburban Mumbai for the next few weeks. The director has charted out a two-month schedule.”