Summary: The rush of waves symbolizes the spirit of life – monotony, unrest and abandonment. Gehry sees this parallel through the stormy relationship between their estranged protagonists, Alisha (Deepika Padukone) and Zain (Siddhant Chaturvedi) as they find solace and pain in each other.
Review: Alisha, a yoga instructor, and Zain, a real estate hotshot, are instantly attracted to each other as soon as they meet. A major phase of obsession consumes both of them until reality hits their faces. Deep in the relationship, the couple finds themselves on a slippery slope as things get complicated. Zain is engaged to Alisha’s cousin Tia (Ananya Pandey) and Alisha is in a live-in relationship with her partner of six years, Karan (Dhairya Karva). Can their secret romance survive the complexities of life?
Infidelity is just the tip of the iceberg. With Gehraiyaan, director Shakun Batra sinks his teeth into an unknown territory as far as Hindi films are concerned – domestic noir. Clearly inspired by Woody Allen’s psychological thriller ‘Match Point’ (2005), Batra’s intimacy goes deeper than physical. Can you be emotionally naked in front of the people you love? If so, does the world regret your weakness and moments of weakness?
Anxious, Alisha, with the baggage of her troubled childhood, is unable to let go of the demons that plagued her mother. We subconsciously carry the weight of our parents’ notion of love, don’t we? Batra’s unfiltered overview of relationships and dysfunctional families as seen in his previous film (Kapoor & Sons) is noteworthy. Nothing is superficial. He tries to understand complex human behavior and its consequences through a story that is difficult to narrate.
Deepika Padukone delivers some heartwarming moments without making eye contact with anyone. Theories, too, play their part in essaying a character that is deeply layered and conflicted. Both are excellent in their respective roles which will hopefully explode their hearts and face maintaining a tacit silence. There could not have been a better casting for this love story that unfolds like a thriller quietly and draws you into its deep dark world. The silence of its characters is intertwined with the roar of the waves. Like a ticking time bomb, you fear the consequences that both may face. Cinematography and sound also play an important role in the film’s subtle dramatic canvas. The scenes are designed with lots of pauses and silences for us to interpret and understand.
The length of the film and the lack of clarity hurts the thumb here. The story gets heavy in the later half and makes you wonder where it is going. With a runtime of 2 hours 28 minutes, it gets a bit monotonous and tiring. Overall, the film has some lovely moments. If you want to look beyond the ordinary, there’s certainly a depth in the depths that deserves to be explored.
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