Gehraiyaan


Gehraiyaan is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Shakun Batra and produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra under Dharma Productions, in collaboration with Viacom18 Studios and Jouska Films. The film stars Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi in lead roles, alongside Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa, with supporting performances from Rajat Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah. Set against a contemporary urban backdrop, the narrative explores themes of infidelity, trauma, and emotional complexity through the intertwined lives of four individuals navigating love, ambition, and betrayal.
Principal photography took place in Goa, Mumbai, and Alibag, 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 by Kausar Munir and Ankur Tewari.
Premiering digitally on 11 February 2022 on Amazon Prime Video, Gehraiyaan received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. 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.

Plot

Alisha "Al" Khanna, runs a yoga studio based in Mumbai and is actively developing a wellness app. She is financially supporting her boyfriend, Karan, an aspiring writer who is working on a novel. Alisha suffers from anxiety, stemming from the suicide of her mother, Sonali. She is currently estranged from her father, Vinod, who she blames for her mother's emotional state before she died.
Alisha's cousin, Tia, invites the couple to her family's beach house in Alibag. They are joined by her fiancé, Zain Oberoi, a real estate developer working for Tia's parents. To Alisha's surprise, Zain starts flirting with her.
After numerous surreptitious romantic encounters, Alisha and Zain bond over their own pervious emotional struggles. The affair intensifies after Zain arranges to invest in Alisha's app and promises to end his engagement. Meanwhile, finding Karan intolerable due to his continued laziness, Alisha ends their relationship and continues seeing Zain secretly.
As Zain's company comes under investigation for financial irregularities, tensions rise. Tia becomes suspicious and confronts Zain, who denies any misconduct. Zain pressures Tia to get a big loan by pledging the family beach house to save his company. However, Zain sells it instead without informing Tia. Jitesh, Zain's associate, deduces the affair going on and pressures Al to call it off and confront Zain during a business meeting. Al discover she is pregnant and reveals the news to Zain.
A stressed Zain decides to invite 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 and keep the affair with Alisha as a secret.
Tia later reveals that her father had an affair with Alisha's mother. Alisha confronts her father, who confirms the story. She realises that the anger she felt towards her father, was misplaced.
Two years later, Alisha attends Karan's engagement party with his new fiancée. There, she reconnects with Tia, who remains unaware of Alisha and Zain's affair. An old lady that Alisha and Zain once encountered while on a romantic getaway greets Alisha. The film ends with Tia surprised as to how they know each other.

Cast

Development and casting

In April 2019, director Shakun Batra was initially reported to helm a biopic based on spiritual leader Osho; however, the project was later shelved. At the 21st edition of the MAMI Film Festival in October 2019, Batra confirmed his next directorial would feature Deepika Padukone and described it as a "domestic noir." Following a script narration at the Dharma Productions office in December 2019, Padukone officially joined the project. That same month, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Vicky Kaushal were reported to be under consideration for the male leads; however, Chaturvedi was ultimately cast, while Kaushal was replaced. Ananya Panday was finalized as the second female lead, marking her first collaboration with Dharma Productions after Student of the Year 2. In March 2020, Dhairya Karwa joined the cast as Padukone's character's love interest.

Filming

was initially scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel restrictions, production was delayed and later relocated to Goa due to its comparable coastal setting. Filming began in September 2020 and continued for approximately one month. The team resumed production in Mumbai in December 2020, following a short hiatus. A final shooting schedule commenced in March 2021 and concluded in August 2021.
The film employed an intimacy department, led by intimacy director Dar Gai, which included coach Neha Vyas and coordinator Aastha Khanna. 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 title Gehraiyaan was revealed with a teaser on 20 December 2021.

Soundtrack

The film's music and background score were composed by independent music artists Kabeer Kathpalia and Savera Mehta, marking their mainstream film debut. The lyrics were written by Kausar Munir and Ankur Tewari. The track featured in the announcement teaser was the Hindi version of "Frontline," originally performed by Lothika Jha, with Hindi lyrics adapted by Tewari.

Reception

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. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 64% approval rating based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10.
Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost 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." Sanjana Jadhav of Pinkvilla 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." Renuka Vyavahare of The 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."
Several other critics praised the film's technical aspects and performances. Umesh Punwani of Koimoi rated it 3.5 out of 5, commenting that "the film's title does so much justice to its story." 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." Roktim Rajpal of Deccan Herald, Simran Singh of DNA India, and Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com also gave 3.5-star reviews, with Verma noting that Deepika Padukone "embodies to perfection the Gehraiyaan in the title." Shilajit Mitra of The New Indian Express found the film commendable for a mainstream Hindi release but noted flaws in its dialogue.
Other critics offered more tempered responses. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it 3 stars, describing it as "a mature relationship drama with niche appeal, bravura performances, and an exciting climax." Phuong Le of The 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.
Less favorable reviews came from The Indian Express, NDTV, and The Free Press Journal. Shubhra Gupta rated it 2 out of 5, stating that the film "doesn't go deep enough." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV shared a similar view, calling it "utterly devoid of humor and zing." Shantanu Ray Chaudhari of The Free Press Journal was more critical, rating it 1 star and writing that "the writing veers between the trite and the ridiculous."

Awards and nominations