“Gehraiyaan” is not only a relationship movie primarily based on infidelity, says Karan Johar

Filmmaker Karan Johar said Thursday that his forthcoming original production, Gehraiyaan, might seem like an infidelity drama, but it’s actually a deep dive into the lives of complex characters.

Touted as a drama about “complex modern relationships,” Gehraiyaan stars Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa.

The film is directed by Shakun Batra, best known for directing the critically acclaimed 2016 family drama Kapoor & Sons, which was also produced by Johar through his Dharma Productions banner.

The film’s first trailer, released Thursday, offers a glimpse into the complicated and chaotic lives of four characters, played by Padukone, Chaturvedi, Panday and Karwa.

Johar said the trailer only scratches the surface of the core story and there’s a lot more to the film than that.

“We express our syntax and introduce you to complex, twisted and complex characters. The trailer scratches the surface, but there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.

“At first glance, you might think it’s a film about unfaithful relationships, but that’s not all. There’s so much more at stake, choices and consequences of so much more,” Johar said during the virtual trailer launch event.

The filmmaker said Gehraiyaan was unique.

“It’s a movie you haven’t seen yet. It’s a film about the power of love, lust and desire of millennials and how they respond to love, lust and desire and the choices they can make. Sometimes lust takes precedence over love, sometimes love takes the bashing for its innocence,” Johar said.

Batra said his film was very different from previous films like Shah Rukh Khan-Rani Mukherji’s Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Yash Chopra’s 1976 feature film Kabhie Kabhie, which also dealt with the issue of infidelity.

“In those movies we always talked about finding a soul mate and then called it infidelity. I don’t think that’s how love stories or relationships work. It’s not infidelity under cover, finding the one or finding true love.

“We try to understand and explore connections that lie outside the conventional boundaries. In this day and age, as relationships are dissolving today, people see love differently, it’s not always about finding the one, it’s about what you’re feeling in the moment,” Batra added.

The 39-year-old director-turned-producer on the film thanked Johar for supporting his vision. “He’s a great mentor. Ever since we first talked about movies, we’ve talked about stories that step out of the conventional romance. Love has been oversimplified in Hindi films over the years, and we talked about how it was time to look at more complex relationships stepping into the gray. And this is the attempt with ‘Gehraiyaan’,” said Batra.

The director credited the cast with supporting the film wholeheartedly and seeing it for what it is.

“We were very certain that we wanted to observe a relationship without the lens of judgment, and Deepika saw it that way. She was the first person to come on board. Then Ananya, Sid and Dhariya passed. Then COVID-19 shooting. We had a roller coaster ride. We had several appointments. It’s my COVID baby,” he said.

Padukone said she always wanted to work with Batra on a film.

“I remember Shakun texting me and saying I have this film I was shooting in London for ’83 and it was coming down. Shakun was definitely on my list. My husband keeps saying Shakun and I would make a great film. “My relationship dates back to 2015 when we attended an awards ceremony and were introduced to each other by colleagues and we hit it off right away, whether we’re doing a film or not. I knew it was going to happen and I didn’t have to pursue it, these things happen when they’re supposed to happen. I remember saying I’ve found a friend for life,” she said.

Gehraiyaan is a bold film, Padukone added.

“We share an honest and trusting relationship and have promised each other that it will be. That’s also why we were able to make such a brave film, because he had faith in me and I had faith in him. I don’t think I ever questioned his sensitivity.” Pandey also expressed excitement at being helmed by Batra, who is one of her dream directors.

“When Shakun and Ayesha told me the story, I went to the washroom and didn’t come back after 20 minutes and they seemed scared. But I was shocked that this project came to me. Shakun was on my bucket list and I was so happy and shocked that he wanted to work with me. It’s been my greatest blessing,” Pandey said.

It was similar with “Gully Boy” star Siddhant Chaturvedi. He recalled meeting Batra for the script narration and said he was blown away by the story.

”There were no second thoughts. I just didn’t know how to do it because we hadn’t seen anything like it before. There was no point of reference to the character. That’s when I knew we had to do it,” Chaturvedi said.

Karwa, who has starred in blockbusters like Uri: The Surgical Strike and 83, said he couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to star in a movie.

”It is pleasant. It’s more than a movie. I couldn’t have asked for more. Leading for the first time and there is a lot of responsibility on you. But when people like all of you, Shakun, Deepika, make you comfortable, it takes all the pressure off. I loved every moment of it. I hope I’ve done it justice,” the actor said.

“Gehraiyaan,” starring Nasseruddin Shah and Rajat Kapur, is set to premiere on Prime Video on February 11.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)