Gehraiyaan, which will be released on Amazon Prime Video on February 11, paddles through the deep emotions of love, lust and longing

Sheetal

“The trailer of Gehraiyaan is out and it’s barely scratching the surface of what the film is all about,” says Karan Johar, who is producing the project. Helmed by Shakun Batra, also the writer of this multi-starrer film, Gehraiyaan will be out on Amazon Prime Video on February 11.

A tough subject like an extra-marital affair, which often gets judged, be it on reel or reality, Shakun says, “We have seen so much of over-simplified characters in Bollywood movies that seeing them limping, flawed and vulnerable was un-imaginable. The reason why everybody associated with this project believes it to be a film that has never been seen before.” To call Gehraiyaan an ‘ahead of its time’ film, Karan Johar has a slightly different viewpoint. “When I made Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, which had all the right actors and a story that traversed to emotions of a failing marriage and a love interest born out of it, it was seen as ahead of its time too. It’s not because those emotions do not exist, but it is due to our audience, which gets too judgmental about these things, even as viewers.

Gehraiyaan, starring Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa, paddles through the deep emotions of love, lust and longing.

Challenging character

“Alisha, my character in Gehraiyaan, is extremely close to my heart and certainly one of the most challenging characters I have portrayed on screen. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to play a role that was fun and challenging. Each of the characters’ struggles and arcs are real, raw and relatable. Our endeavour is to take viewers on a journey they will relate to. When it comes to dealing with relationships and human emotion, Shakun is truly a master of his craft. With Gehraiyaan, again, he has woven a story that will appeal to all and I am thrilled that along with Amazon Prime Video, we are able to take this story to audiences worldwide.” — Deepika Padukone

Full circle

“In a manner, this seems like coming back home. I started my journey as an actor with Amazon Prime Video and now Gehraiyaan, a film I am so incredibly proud of will premiere worldwide on Amazon Prime Video. I feel there is a little bit of Zain in all of us. His ambition, aspiration, passion for his dreams and his struggles, when faced with tough choices, are all extremely relatable. We didn’t have a reference point for our characters and it was a journey within, than looking outside, to prepare for the role.” — Siddhant Chaturvedi

Learning curve

“It is every actor’s dream to have their work reach out to the widest possible audience and I am excited for the global release of Gehraiyaan. The experience of working with such a talented cast and creators is one that I will cherish forever. I am looking forward to how the viewers will react to the movie.” — Dhairya Karwa

High point

“Shooting with the wonderful cast and crew of Gehraiyaan has been an absolute high point for me and I never wanted the shoot to end! Working with Shakun was on my list and I couldn’t believe that he wanted to work with me too. Sharing screen space with Deepika is another high point of this film. There is a certain realness to the story of Gehraiyaan; while the film dives into the complexity of relationships it also talks about the thrill of being in love, of discovering oneself and charting ones’ path.” — Ananya Panday