‘Asli Action Chaalu’: Rappers D’Evil, Shah Rule Reveal How They Got On Board For Theme Song Of ‘An Action Hero’

The theme song, ‘Asli Action Chaalu’ from Ayushmann Khurrana starrer ‘An Action Hero’ is performed by Gully Gang signees and leading Mumbai-based rappers, D’Evil and Shah Rule, and is composed by Parag Chhabra. The groovy track brings to life the well-choreographed action sequences of the film. ‘An Action Hero’, directed by Anirudh Iyer, also stars Jaideep Ahlawat in the lead role.

In an interview with Outlook India, the two rappers talk about how they got on board for the song, how they ended up performing it, and more. Excerpts from the interview:

How did you both get on board for the theme song, 'Asli Action Chaalu' from the 'An Action Hero'?

D’Evil: Parag Chabbra approached D’Evil and after the song was written and composed for the Hindi part, Shah Rule was brought in for the English verses.

Shah Rule: I was brought on only after D’Evil laid down his Hindi parts and both Parag Chhabra and the director Anirudh Iyer wanted some English verses to counter what was being said in Hindi. A Bilingual narration in a rap form to guide the audience on the types of thoughts Ayushmann’s character is going through in these pivotal moments of the movie.

Tell us about the process of performing it..

D’Evil: l was asked to come and watch the film by the director Anirudh Iyer and was then given a brief about the situation in the film where the song will be placed. That made it very easy for D’Evil to craft down lyrics as per the situation of the film. D’Evil later suggested that Shah Rule can do Justice to the English verse in the song

Shah Rule: Parag had a vision of the type of flows, vocal tones, and of course, the lyrical matter had to reflect what was happening on screen. When the lyrics are supposed to be very direct to what’s going on screen, rather than more vague with ads and brand work, the job is very easy for rappers and ideas wise it’s not complicated to find references for metaphors/similes when the brief is focused.

The lyrics had to be very direct to the pivotal part of the film, as you mentioned. What else was the brief?

D’Evil: The brief was to write these songs in two situations. One was a scary situation and the other one was a victory song. ‘Asli Action Chalu’ the album version was written for a situation where the protagonist is escaping and is in a hurry. There is a sense of urgency in the song. I would suggest everyone Watch the film to understand the song better

Shah Rule: The brief was to basically be Ayushmann’s optimistic Angel/Devil on his shoulder, motivating him to push through the tough situation he has now gotten himself into. I tend to have themes of Motivation within my music always so this came quite natural to me and being able to see the scene definitely helped shape the imagery I portrayed in my lyrics.

Are you both now looking at doing more films, and exploring more Bollywood projects?

D’Evil: After doing songs for my previous film ‘Toofan’, I never expected to get another opportunity. But you never know. I might get more if its gods will. As of now we are open to everything

Shah Rule: Definitely looking to do more in the film space and super excited for 2023. This year, I’ve been fortunate enough to work on huge brand projects with top Bollywood stars; most recently being a live performance at Blenders Pride Fashion Tour for Falguni Shane Peacock’s show alongside showstopper Shahid Kapoor and earlier this year a massive brand song for an ad film for OPPO with Varun Dhawan.

What's next in the pipeline?

D’Evil: Some of my Solo tracks. Will be dropping a single next year January called Drip Check. And you can always see us perform live music in your cities. Look forward to see us everywhere

Shah Rule: A lot of independent releases via Gully Gang & Mass Appeal India, most recently being an afro beats inspired Punjabi & English R&B track by the name of ‘Tension’ in collaboration with Delhi based singer JAI DHIR. This is my last release for 2022, and the music video has also been Directed by myself alongside Aranyaka Verma. I do have a few singles and exciting collaborations lined up for the next few months, which will lead up to an album I’m currently working on releasing in the new year.

Shah Rule, you engaged in a rap battle in the final round against Ranveer Singh's Murad in 'Gully Boy’. How has been the shift for you since then?

Shah Rule: The whole scene has definitely evolved & levelled up multiple times since Gully Boy, and the type of opportunities for us are constantly breaking boundaries. Gully Boy was technically my first on screen appearance in a Bollywood movie and ‘An Action Hero’ is my first official song in a Bollywood film soundtrack. Covid definitely slowed things down in the years in between the two but focusing on my music and building a strong and respectable catalogue has put me in a better position to get more opportunities like An Action Hero, that too with English rap.