'Gully Boy' named India's entry for Oscars 2020

The Zoya Akhtar-directed musical drama Gully Boy is India's official entry in the International Feature Film category at the 2020 Academy Awards, producer Farhan Akhtar has announced.

The film beat out several high-profile contenders including Vada Chennai, Article 15, The Tashkent Files, Baba and Andhadhun to bag the entry.

In a tweet, Akhtar said: "#GullyBoy has been selected as India’s official entry to the 92nd Oscar Awards. Thank you to the film federation and congratulations" with the hashtag #apnatimeaayega, referring to the popular song from the film.

Gully Boy follows Murad Ahmed (Ranveer Kapoor), an aspiring rapper who meets a local MC Shrikant Bhosle (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and evolves his craft. He then has to face challenges in his personal life with longtime girlfriend Safeena (Alia Bhatt) and another girl in the wake of his rise to popularity.

Gully Boy received significant critical praise when it was released, and currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 20 reviews. It earned an estimated total of Rs 238 crores worldwide on a budget of Rs 84 crores.

Deccan Herald's review of the film said, "Gully Boy breaks free and takes street to mainstream. The music is loud and clear: it’s okay to rebel, to desire, to dream on. Just rap!", giving it a score of 3.5 out of 5.