Of infidelity and forbidden romance: 'Gehraiyaan' trailer sheds light on perils of adulting

Film sees individuals trying to keep the romance alive but terribly failing at being loyal to their significant other.

At its surface, Karan Johar and Shakun Batra's latest offering, Gehraiyaan, may seem like the former's 2006 film, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (KANK). Touching the same topics of love, marriages and infidelity, the Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday, Siddhanth Chatruvedi and Dhairya Karwa-starrer is touted to be so much more than just that.

The Amazon Prime original is said to be a “mirror into modern adult relationships”, with the cast and makers endorsing it to be a never-seen-before narrative onscreen. However, there are some obvious similarities between KANK and Gehraiyaan. Like the Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji hit, the upcoming film revolves around two couples who are desperately trying to keep their romance alive but terribly failing at being loyal to their significant other.

Deepika plays Alisha, a bored-yet-hardworking housewife of a good-for-nothing husband, Karan, essayed by Dhariya. In comes her fun-loving cousin, Tia and her fiancé, Zain. The four go on a trip and things unfold henceforth. Zain's casual flirting with Alisha takes a serious turn while Tia innocently finds ways to justify his routine absence until she finally confronts her fiancé. All hell breaks loose, but Zain shows no remorse. While the trio finds themselves in the middle of a ruckus, Karan seems to be missing from the story.

Asked whether Gehraiyaan is about infidelity, Karan, at a virtual trailer launch of the film, said, “On the face of it, people might think it is a film on infidelity in relationships, but there is so much more to it.” Shakun explained, “Gehraiyaan doesn't have infidelity under the garb of finding a soulmate because I don't think relationships work like that, it is more about finding yourself.”

Speaking about the film, Deepika said, “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 at the same time. Each of the characters’ struggles and arcs is real, raw and relatable. Our endeavour is to take viewers on a journey they will relate to.”

Siddhant said at Gehraiyaan launch, “I am relatively new, and I haven't played many characters yet. I am still exploring different characters and genres. Gehraiyaan felt so layered and nuanced that I felt that the style of filmmaking is so different. I wanted to do it as it is very different from what I have done to date. It is quite layered and deep. I am romancing two beautiful women.”

Ananya went on to share, “There’s 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.”

Talking about sharing the screen space with the rest of the cast, Dhariya Karwa said, " The experience of working with such a talented cast and creators is one that I will cherish forever. I look forward to how the viewers react to the movie.”

The film is set to release on February 11 on Amazon Prime.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.