Sanchita
A deliciously fucked-up romantic drama that will make you tense up in the 2nd half.
Read Gehraiyaan Movie Review –
Director: Shakun Batra
Cast: Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Runtime: 2 Hours 28 minutes
Rating: 3.5/ 5
Storyline:
Gehraiyaan is a tale of love, lust, lies and loss that starts off in shallow waters but before you realise it, you’re actually in the deep end. Since it deals with the sticky topic of infidelity, it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.
Alisha (Deepika), her cousin Tia (Ananya) and Karan (Dhairya) are all chaddi buddies. Alisha is a down-on-her luck yoga instructor, struggling to fund her fitness app. She shares an estranged relationship with her father (Naseeruddin Shah), blaming him since childhood for her mother’s suicide.
Dealing with anxiety from her traumatic past, Alisha wants the best in life and to not end up like her mother at any cost. She feels stuck in her relationship with Karan – who’s left his cushy ad job to chase after his writer dreams.
Meanwhile, her cousin Tia is living a fancy life and is newly engaged to the hotshot Zain (Siddhant). Now, Zain may appear like a rich brat but he has worked his way to the top and into the good graces of Tia’s influential family.
As both couples sail off on a yacht for an Alibaug vacation- sparks fly between Alisha and Zain. Throwing all caution to the wind, the two engage in a steamy affair and end up bonding over their family trauma. Like Alisha, Zain too has fought off, or rather, abandoned his own demons – a violent alcoholic father and a submissive mother who won’t leave.
But when Karan proposes to Alisha, the duo realise their affair is going nowhere – it’s time to either break it off or completely give themselves to each other. Alisha dumps her lacklustre relationship with Karan and Zain promises to end things with Tia as well.
Now, Zain has even gotten funding for Alisha’s app but his own venture is being backed by Tia’s money. And when things blow up on the business end, Zain lands in troubled waters and cannot afford to break the engagement and lose Tia as his cash cow.
On the other hand, Tia is hiding some skeletons in the closet about her and Alisha’s family. And she maybe isn’t as oblivious as her constant chirpy outlook would suggest.
Zain is in way over his head – will he choose love or getting out of his business mess? Watch Gehraiyaan to know how infidelity drastically changes the course of these 4 lives!
What Do We Think?
Deepika Padukone is unapologetically the show-stealer in Gehraiyaan; she gives a layered, vulnerable performance as the broken Alisha. But in spite of the constant kissing, her chemistry with Siddhant just seems blah and the ‘passionate’ scenes lack heat.
You feel invested in Alisha-Zain’s relationship only when their affair hits a stormy patch and the dynamic turns guilty and hostile. Ananya, as the naive, trusting girlfriend doesn’t have much to do in the 1st half but the 2nd half lets her show off her acting chops. And you do feel bad for her character.
It is a delight to watch Siddhant’s selfish act as the adulterous fiance Zain. And boy, is he one hot mess, drowning deeper and deeper in the sea of lies and deception! Dhairya Karwa, unfortunately, gets the short end of the stick here in this ensemble cast but he does give a decent performance as the self-involved writer and ignorant partner.
Honourable mention for Rajat Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah who pack a surprise punch in the 2nd half.
While the first half is quite the slow-burn and you feel the characters are either insufferable or just bland, the 2nd half picks up the pace with its major WTF moment and gripping drama.
Hit Or Miss:
Well, it’s 50-50 in the public court…but we feel, you should definitely watch it for the 2nd half. Like Tamasha, Gehraiyaan will truly leave the audience conflicted.
Where To Watch Gehraiyaan?
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
(Also Read: PRICE REVEALED! Deepika Padukone’s Orange Dress For Gehraiyaan Promotion)
