Apna time aayega. That's the tag line for the next big Bollywood release that hits screens in February. It presumably refers to the two Mumbai rappers — DIVINE and Naezy — that the film is based on. And there is fever-pitch anticipation to find out how the corporate entity that the Hindi film industry is will depict a duo who, till a few years ago, were as underground as it gets.

But truth be told, unka time kaafi pehle aa chuka tha. The two had their first moment under the sun in 2014. That's when they burst through the ranks, immediately shifting the focus of hip-hop in India from the south to the gullies of Dharavi. It's true that Naezy has since dropped out of the scene. But a combination of factors — including raw talent, canny marketing and a willing audience — has seen the former become such a massive phenomenon that he's almost become synonymous with non-commercial hip-hop in the country.