Film: Gehraiyaan

Cast: Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa, Naseeruddin Shah

Director: Shakun Batra

OTT: Amazon Prime Video  

Rating: 4 Moons

Four Millennials, three love stories, one family bond and a friendship of a lifetime – but the deeper you go, the darker it gets! That’s what Shakun Batra’s much-anticipated film Gehraiyaan is all about. It’s about love, it’s about choices, about a woman who finds herself at a crossroads in life, but above all – it’s about the dark side of modern-day relationships.

Just when you think nothing can get deeper than this – BAM! – there’s another shocking twist in Gehraiyaan but all with the backdrop of new-age romance. With a stellar cast including Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa, Gehraiyaan is a mirror of modern adult relationships. Produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Gehraiyaan gives us a glimpse of reality in the form of the darkest take on the subject of love and longing. This is an avante garde genre entirely new to Bollywood.

Recommended Read: Intimacy was never a selling point of Gehraiyaan- Deepika Padukone

The 2 hours 28-minute long film starts off with Alisha (Deepika Padukone) reminiscing about her childhood days with cousin Tia (Ananya Panday) and friend Karan (Dhairya Karwa). In the present day, Alisha is stuck between launching her new Yoga app and handling her 6-year-old relationship with Karan. Tia, on the other hand, is living every girl’s dream. She is engaged to suave and ardent businessman Zain (Siddhant Chaturvedi) who has lazy bedroom eyes and ambition and has climbed the ladder of success but not without Tia’s help.

When Tia decides on a sweet little reunion at her Alibaug beach house with her cousin Alisha and childhood best friend Karan, things don’t go as planned. As soon as Alisha with her long legs and tanned body meets Zain, there’s a spark of romance between them fuelled by mutual attraction and desire but at the cost of something big. Alisha and Zain, after much sexting, take the support of infidelity to find their true love but things are not easy with Zain being dependent on Tia financially and Karan proposing to Alisha for marriage. 

Gehraiyaan then takes us deep into the ‘real’ bond that Zain and Alisha share. But it has to end with heartbreak and you will know all about it once you watch the film. There’s a crackling romantic tension between Alisha and Zain that could be even more raw and wild. Their chemistry, in the clandestine, furtive lovemaking scenes, viewers will secretly wish was more amorous. At times it’s just the hunger of lust in their eyes. But surprisingly Zain tags it as ‘love’. This is not the love we were expecting, there’s sinful bodies and sizzling passion, but no red hearts and XOXOs. 

But trust Gehraiyaan to leave you in a mind-boggling situation. You will end up questioning anything and everything. Is love even real these days or is this what love has come to? Gehraiyaan was expected to come across as a film with the real potential to punch us in our emotional gut and fill the large void with a story that resonates with everyone who falls in and out of love. However, it is not what it looks like. It’s deeper and darker and surprising.

Deepika as Alisha is a messed up 30-something woman living with the trauma of her past and she does that pretty convincingly. Siddhant as Zain is delightfully wicked, he brings his best acting foot forward but by the end of the film you don’t understand if you’d wanna hate him or sympathize with his character. Ananya is this sweet and charming girl who is ‘too trusting’. She plays Tia with confidence and adds much-needed innocence to the story. Dhairya as Karan is the guy next door. He is easy-going and complicated at the same time but he manages to pull it off. Naseeruddin Shah as Alisha’s father and Rajat Kapoor as Zain’s business partner, add on to the storyline with their short but important roles. 

Shakun Batra’s honest attempt at showcasing complex characters is much appreciated though his writing with co-writer Ayesha Devitre drags at times. Kaushal Shah’s cinematography is brilliant but Nitesh Bhatia’s editing could be crisper. However, the best part of Gehraiyaan is its music. Hats off to Kabeer Kathpalia (OAFF) and Savera Mehta for their brilliant work. The music is soulful, addictive and adds to the story. The songs – Gehraiyaan title track, Doobey and Beqaaboo – work well with the tone of the film and will leave you wanting more! 

Watch Gehraiyaan for a story that’s anything but clichéd! It’s a special film and a new language. And be glad that Amazon Prime Video is pushing its boundaries to take up bold subjects such as this one. For all its lust, intrigue and twist in the plot, Gehraiyaan is a film that you would best enjoy in the intimacy of home.

PeepingMoon gives Gehraiyaan 4 Moons!