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| Gehraiyaan | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Shakun Batra |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by | Shakun Batra Ayesha Devitre |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Kaushal Shah |
| Edited by | Nitesh Bhatia |
| Music by | Kabeer Kathpalia (OAFF) Savera Mehta |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Amazon Prime Video[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 148 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Gehraiyaan (transl. Depths) is a 2022 IndianHindi-languageromantic drama film directed byShakun Batra and produced byKaran Johar, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra underDharma Productions, in collaboration withViacom18 Studios and Jouska Films.[2] The film starsDeepika Padukone andSiddhant Chaturvedi in lead roles, alongsideAnanya Panday andDhairya Karwa, with supporting performances fromRajat Kapoor andNaseeruddin Shah.[3] Set against a contemporary urban backdrop, the narrative explores themes ofinfidelity,trauma, and emotional complexity through the intertwined lives of four individuals navigating love, ambition, and betrayal.
Principal photography took place inGoa,Mumbai, andAlibag, with cinematography by Kaushal Shah. The screenplay was co-written by Batra, Ayesha Devitre Dhillon,Sumit Roy, and Yash Sahai. The soundtrack features original compositions by OAFF and Savera, with lyrics byKausar Munir and Ankur Tewari.
Premiering digitally on 11 February 2022 onAmazon Prime Video,Gehraiyaan received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics.[4][1] While the performances of the cast—particularly Padukone—alongside its cinematography, visual tone, and soundtrack were widely praised, the screenplay and third act drew criticism for lacking narrative depth.
Alisha "Al" Khanna, a 30-year-old yoga instructor in Mumbai, is running a Yoga studio and is also actively developing a wellness app. She is financially supporting her work-shy boyfriend, Karan, an aspiring writer. Karan is supposedly working on a novel but never seems to find time to find a publisher and make some money. She suffers from anxiety, rooted in unhelpful current boyfriend as well as an unresolved trauma from her childhood when she came to know about her mother Sonali's suicide. She is currently estranged from her father, Vinod.
One day Alisha's cousin, Tia, invites the couple to her family's beach house inAlibag, where she is staying with her fiancé, Zain Oberoi, a successful real estate developer. To Alisha's surprise, Zain starts flirting with her, while supposedly on a romantic getaway with his own current girlfriend Tia. Zain is in his current financial position, due to winning the confidence of Tia's rich parents demonstrating his skills as a shrewd real estate businessman.
After numerous surreptitious romantic encounters hidden from their own current partners, Alisha and Zain bond apparently over their own pervious emotional struggles. Alisha's disappointment with Karan increases, after she learns that Karan shared his in-progress manuscript with their mutual friend Tia but not with her. Zain for his part wins over Alisha by arranging for his company to invest in Alisha's app. The affair intensifies and along the way, Zain makes promise that he intends to end his engagement. In reality it is a false promise since he is not only romantically linked to Tia, but financially as well, through Tia's own parents' company where he is a senior level executive.
Finding Karan intolerable due to his continued laziness, Alisha ends the relationship with Karan and continues seeing Zain secretly.
As Zain's company comes under investigation for financial irregularities, all due to Zain's own business mistakes, tensions rise. Tia becomes suspicious and confronts Zain, who denies any misconduct. Alisha later finds herself pregnant and reveals the news to Zain. Due to Zain's pressure, Tia agrees to get a big loan pledging the family beach house to save Zain's company, but Zain sells it instead without informing Tia. Jitesh, Zain's associate, deduces the affair going on and pressures Alisha to call it off and confront Zain during a business meeting.
Zain is now in a full-blown panic mode over simultaneous entanglement with two women with differing motives. So, he invites Alisha onto his yacht, telling her he has ended his engagement. When Alisha notices him spiking her drink, she tries to leave. During the confrontation, Zain slips, hits his head, and drowns. Alisha returns home and later suffers a miscarriage.
Jitesh, for his personal financial benefits, blackmails Alisha into retrieving documents that would allow him to conceal Zain's death as a suicide, something that could also help Alisha as well since she was previously involved in his secret life.
Tia later reveals that Alisha is the daughter of her father, Kumud, and Sonali, the result of an extramarital affair. Alisha confronts her father, Vinod, who confirms the story. Alisha discovers that her life long hatred for her father Vinod was completely unjustified, since Vinod was not even a biological father who accepted that role silently.
Two years later, Alisha attends Karan's engagement party. She reconnects with Tia there, who is blissfully still ignorant of the Alisha's affair. After numerous mistakes, affairs, terrible entanglements, even near-death situations, Alisha is now optimistically looking forward to a more peaceful life with more answers than unresolved questions. The film ends on a cliffhanger where an old lady that Zain & Al had once encountered while on a romantic getaway greets Alisha with Tia being surprised about how they know each other.
In April 2019, directorShakun Batra was initially reported to helm a biopic based on spiritual leaderOsho; however, the project was later shelved.[5] At the 21st edition of theMAMI Film Festival (MAMI) in October 2019, Batra confirmed his next directorial would featureDeepika Padukone and described it as a "domestic noir."[6] Following a script narration at theDharma Productions office in December 2019, Padukone officially joined the project.[7] That same month,Siddhant Chaturvedi andVicky Kaushal were reported to be under consideration for the male leads; however, Chaturvedi was ultimately cast, while Kaushal was replaced.[8]Ananya Panday was finalized as the second female lead, marking her first collaboration with Dharma Productions afterStudent of the Year 2 (2019).[9][10] In March 2020,Dhairya Karwa joined the cast as Padukone's character's love interest.[11]
Principal photography was initially scheduled to take place inSri Lanka; however, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic and associated travel restrictions, production was delayed and later relocated toGoa due to its comparable coastal setting.[12][13] Filming began in September 2020 and continued for approximately one month.[14] The team resumed production in Mumbai in December 2020, following a short hiatus.[15] A final shooting schedule commenced in March 2021 and concluded in August 2021.[16][17][18]
The film employed an intimacy department, led byintimacy directorDar Gai, which included coach Neha Vyas and coordinator Aastha Khanna.[19] This marked one of the first mainstream Hindi films to credit such a team for choreographing intimate scenes. The project had been referred to internally as "Production No. 70" for two years before the titleGehraiyaan was revealed with a teaser on 20 December 2021.[17]
The film's music and background score were composed byindependent music artists Kabeer Kathpalia (also known as OAFF) and Savera Mehta, marking their mainstream film debut.[20] The lyrics were written byKausar Munir and Ankur Tewari.[21] The track featured in the announcement teaser was the Hindi version of "Frontline," originally performed by Lothika Jha, with Hindi lyrics adapted by Tewari.[22][21]
Gehraiyaan received mixed reviews from critics. While the film's performances, visual style, cinematography, and soundtrack were widely praised, its screenplay, story, and climax drew criticism.[23] On thereview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 64% approval rating based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10.[24]
Anna M. M. Vetticad ofFirstpost rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing that it "has an enigmatic air from its opening scene and gradually takes on an additional layer of unrelenting foreboding."[25] Sanjana Jadhav ofPinkvilla similarly awarded it 4 stars, noting that the film is "a deep dive into an individual's and family's past choices, relationships, and why we do what we do."[26] Renuka Vyavahare ofThe Times of India gave it 3.5 stars, observing that director Shakun Batra "tries to decode complex human behavior and its consequences through a story that's tough to narrate."[27]
Several other critics praised the film's technical aspects and performances. Umesh Punwani ofKoimoi rated it 3.5 out of 5, commenting that "the film's title does so much justice to its story."[28]Filmfare's Devesh Sharma echoed the sentiment, calling it "a technically sound film having some fine performances and carrying a hint of mystery as well."[29] Roktim Rajpal ofDeccan Herald, Simran Singh ofDNA India, andSukanya Verma ofRediff.com also gave 3.5-star reviews, with Verma noting thatDeepika Padukone "embodies to perfection theGehraiyaan in the title."[30][31][32] Shilajit Mitra ofThe New Indian Express found the film commendable for a mainstream Hindi release but noted flaws in its dialogue.[33]
Other critics offered more tempered responses.Taran Adarsh ofBollywood Hungama gave it 3 stars, describing it as "a mature relationship drama with niche appeal, bravura performances, and an exciting climax."[34] Phuong Le ofThe Guardian also rated it 3 out of 5, comparing its twists to those of '90s erotic thrillers, while praising Padukone's performance as a standout.[35]
Less favorable reviews came fromThe Indian Express,NDTV, andThe Free Press Journal.Shubhra Gupta rated it 2 out of 5, stating that the film "doesn't go deep enough."[36]Saibal Chatterjee ofNDTV shared a similar view, calling it "utterly devoid of humor and zing."[37] Shantanu Ray Chaudhari ofThe Free Press Journal was more critical, rating it 1 star and writing that "the writing veers between the trite and the ridiculous."[38]
| Award[a] | Date of ceremony[b] | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | 16 August 2022 | Best Actress | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | [39] |
| Indian Television Academy Awards | 11 December 2022 | Best Debutant Actress of the Year – OTT | Ananya Panday | Won | [40] |
| Bollywood Film Journalist Awards | 2023 | Best Film | Gehraiyaan | Nominated | [41] |
| Best Director | Shakun Batra | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Naseeruddin Shah | Nominated | |||
| Siddhant Chaturvedi | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ananya Panday | Nominated | |||
| FOI Online Awards | 20 January 2023 | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | |
| Best Music Director | Oaff and Savera | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Song | "Doobey" | Nominated | |||
| News18 REEL Movie Awards | 4 March 2023 | Best Film on OTT (Hindi) | Gehraiyaan | Nominated | [42] |
| Best Actress | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | |||
| Hitlist OTT Awards | 17 March 2023 | Best Film | Gehraiyaan | Nominated | |
| Best Actress | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Naseeruddin Shah | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ananya Panday | Nominated | |||
| Zee Cine Awards | 18 March 2023 | Best Actor – Female | Deepika Padukone | Nominated | [43] |
| Best Actor (Critics) – Female | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female | Ananya Panday | Nominated | |||
| Song of the Year | "Doobey" | Nominated | |||
| BollywoodLife Awards | 24 March 2023 | Best Film on OTT (Hindi) | Gehraiyaan | Won | |
| Best Actor – Hindi Film | Siddhant Chaturvedi | Nominated | |||
| IIFA Awards | 26–27 May 2023 | Best Music Director | Oaff and Savera | Nominated | [44] |
| Best Lyricist | Ankur Tewari for "Gehraiyaan" | Nominated | |||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Mohit Chauhan for "Gehraiyaan (Reprise)" | Nominated | |||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Lothika Jha for "Doobey" | Nominated | |||
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards India | 27 June 2023 | Favourite Bollywood Song | "Doobey" | Nominated | [45] |
While Padukone's central performance has been appreciated, the film itself has received a mixed reaction from the critics as well as the audience.