Gehraiyaan: A Non-Judgmental Take On Infidelity
Aruna Raghuram is a freelance journalist based in Ahmedabad. She has worked in the print media – newspapers and magazines – for several years. She writes on parenting, personalities, women’s issues, mental well-being, environment, and other social causes.
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By Aruna Raghuram
First publised on 2022-02-12 16:16:50
About the Author
Aruna Raghuram is a freelance journalist based in Ahmedabad. She has worked in the print media – newspapers and magazines – for several years. She writes on parenting, personalities, women’s issues, mental well-being, environment, and other social causes.
View all posts by this Author
The
first thing that strikes you about Gehraiyaan
is that it lives up to its name. It makes a serious attempt to explore the
depths of its lead couple, Alisha (Deepika Padukone)and Zain (Siddhant
Chaturvedi). Both are complicated characters and yet the audience can
understand them and identify with them. This is where the director and
performances score - in keeping the complexity, without making the film too
dark or esoteric.
Second,
the treatment of infidelity in the film is refreshingly free of judgement. While
there are no dramatic reasons for the infidelity, viewers are not likely to
judge the characters that cheat harshly. In fact, the audience is lightly led
to empathise with their predicaments. Director Shakun Batra has said in a TV interview
that he has attempted to keep the characters relatable so that viewers can
understand why they made the choices they did. Well, he has succeeded in this.
And,
thirdly, the intimate scenes in the movie are tastefully done. Some would say
the chemistry between Alisha and Zain is low-key and lukewarm, given the theme.
The intention of the director seems to have been to portray the relationship as
being more about emotions and less about physical attraction.
The
storyline is simple and yet there are enough twists to keep you hooked. The
film revolves around two couples. Alisha, a yoga instructor, and Karan (Dhairya Karwa), a writer, have
been in a live-in relationship for six years. Their relationship is fraught
with financial uncertainty and an obvious lack of excitement. Tia (Ananya
Panday), Alisha's rich cousin, is engaged to Zain, a real estate developer.
Alisha
and Zain are drawn to each other at first meeting. What transpires in the rest
of the film is a volatile mix of deceit, betrayal, ambition and frustration. Crashing
waves are shown repeatedly to convey this turbulence. The narrative is gripping
and the direction by Shakun Batra is commendable. Deepika outshines her co-stars
with her understated yet sensitive depiction of a woman haunted by a traumatic
childhood and torn between ambition, frustration and love. Her performance is
reason enough to watch this movie.
Siddhant
falls short on some counts given the scope of his character. His acting was not
intense enough in the romantic scenes. His portrayal of frustration and
restrained anger was better. The characters of Tia and Karan are underdeveloped.
They do not get impactful screen time, though the acting is above average.
In
comparison with Gehraiyaan, Dharma
Productions' earlier attempt to depict infidelity on screen, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, was judgemental,
loud and heavy. But that was made in 2006, 16 years ago. Gehraiyaan is gentler on the subject and its characters.
The
film is said to belong to the genre 'domestic noir'. Novelist Julia Crouch, said to be an expert
in this genre, explains that in this genre the story plays out mainly in homes
and workplaces, is about relationships, but is more focussed on the female
experience. Looking forward to more films that explore this genre as subtly as Gehraiyaan has done.
