Zoya Akhtar on Gully Boy’s Berlinale screening: The reactions were insane, people were whistling and singing along

Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy, starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, had its grand premiere at the Berlin Film Festival recently. And we have to say, the reactions have been fantastic. An audience known to be tough critically on films, have been raving about the movie. In fact, the TIFF director also revealed that it was the loudest cheer he had heard in 20 years for any film. So clearly, the movie has been loved by one and all at the Berlinale. But wait till you hear what director Zoya Akhtar has to say. The director just flew in from Berlin, and while chatting with us, mentioned how people were whistling and singing along.

Talking about the Gully Boy screening, Zoya Akhtar said, “It was wonderful. The screening was fantastic. It was an 1800-seater and I’ve never been in a cinema hall that big. The screen must have been 70 – 80 feet long. So, to watch your film projected on such a big screen made me go ‘Oh my God!’ By the end of it, Alia was like this is like being in Gaiety (a popular Bandra cinema house). The reactions were just crazy. It was a 50 per cent South East Asian audience and 50 per cent German audience. And half the Asian audience didn’t speak Hindi, so it was subtitled. But the reactions were insane. They were screaming, whistling at the entries, clapping, singing the songs. It was wild. It is also a serious film. It’s a drama, and you could understand that they were there with the film. It was special.”

Produced by Tiger Baby Productions and Excel Entertainment, Gully Boy is all set to release on Valentine’s Day (February 14). With so much buzz and excitement around the movie, we can’t wait to see it! What do you guys have to say about Zoya’s revelations? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section below! In the meantime, stay tuned to Cine Blitz as we get you all the news and gossip from the world of Bollywood right here.