Shakun Batra directed Gehraiyaan is one of the most talked about films in Bollywood currently. With its ensemble cast of Deepika Padukone, Siddhaant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhaurya Karwa, and its apparent theme of infidelity in relationships, the film generated a tremendous pre-release buzz. Now that it is out on Amazon Prime Video, director Shakun Batra says he wants to take a break after the film’s release and not hear or talk about it anymore.
Batra explained his state of mind during a conversation with News18 a few days before the film’s release. “As a filmmaker, you are always eager to see how the film is received. The build-up to the release has been overwhelming, but it also makes you feel good, that people are looking forward to all the hard work you put in it. But yes, you’re also nervous, you hope you meet people’s expectations, and they can connect with it in the way the way you envisioned it. So yeah, I am excited, nervous, and a whole bunch of things. It’s too many things going on,” he says.
“Actually, if you ask me, I want to hide myself five days after release, because I don’t want to hear anything after that. I’ll be around till the 15/16th. And then I will need to clear out so many thoughts that I have. I want to hopefully take a little pause, at some point,” he adds.
Batra has always taken an off-the-beaten-track view of love stories with his previous directorials Kapoor and Sons and Ekk Main Aur Ekk Tu, under the same banner, Dharma Productions. Asked if Gehraiyaan is a more mature attempt at portraying Bollywood romance, he says, “Yes, it gets more complex. It delves into things that go beneath the surface, and that’s really what I enjoy. I enjoy telling stories where things are not straightforward. But honestly, I also feel like, now whatever I do next may just be completely the opposite. Because I feel like I’ve done it a few times, so it would be fun to try something else.”
Talking about his casting process for the film, Batra explained he was looking for actors who are similar to the characters in the script in their real lives. “For me, a huge part of casting, whether it’s Ananya, Dhairya or Deepika, would always be to see in their real life, who they are and how close are they to how I’ve written or imagined somebody. That’s the first thing I’m looking for. I’m not looking for how good they are in their performances. The first thing is like, how close are they already? Because then your work becomes less on set,” Batra elaborates.
Despite being an OTT release, the buzz around Gehraiyaan was no less than that of a theatrical release. Shakun says digital is a better way of releasing this film at this point. “I think that’s the plus especially given where we are with COVID. It’s still very hard to feel completely safe going out. It’s going to be so much easier. You just have to sit on your sofa, tune in when you want and how you want. You don’t have to travel anywhere. It’s a win-win. I couldn’t have been happier to be honest about that.”
