Rapper Divine, who is one of the inspirations for Zoya Akhtar's "Gully Boy", hopes the film brings more recognition to the hip hop culture. The city-based rapper, whose real name is Vivian Fernandes, said he is excited to watch the Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt-starrer.
"I’m really looking forward that the film will take hip hop to each and every corner, street and village in this country. I want to see more of our youth take up the mic or learn to play an instrument or produce beats and do something different in their careers," Divine told PTI.
"The film is inspired by the Mumbai hip-hop community and it's amazing how far we have come in the last few years. With this film, it seems the journey has only begun," he added.
Divine began his career as an underground rapper in 2011 and gained popularity after his single "Yeh mera Bombay". He achieved mainstream success following his song "Mere gully mein" featuring fellow Mumbai rapper Naezy.
He revealed Zoya had attended one of his shows some years ago as she is a big fan of the genre and was writing the movie that time.
"She did her research and saw the scene and I was amazed by how in depth she had gone," he added.
The film which is set to release in February next year will have its world premiere at the 2019 Berlinale.
Meanwhile, Divine recently performed at RED FM's Riders Music Festival in Delhi.
"Music festivals are amazing to play at, as you get to play to an audience that may not have heard your music before and your fans as well."
(With PTI Inputs)
