Ananya Panday doesn't think 'Gehraiyaan' glorifies infidelity

Bollywood's ace director Shakun Batra is all set to enthrall the audience with his upcoming star-studded project, Gehraiyaan. The film, which stars Deepika Padukone, Sidhant Chartruvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Kawra, revolves around the perils of adulting. 

The Amazon Prime original highlights the topics of love, marriages and infidelity. However, in an interview with Hindustan Times, the starlet addressed the backlash by the audience, where many opined how the film glorifies infidelity. 

Talking about the same, the starlet commented, “We aren’t endorsing and glorifying infidelity; we’re simply observing how four people would behave in a certain situation. But everyone will have a different opinion on it and I’m looking forward to the debates going to take place." She went on to add, “I’ve always been attracted to complex characters which help me evolve as an actor and hopefully, as a person too. I’m hoping this paves way for more complex, flawed, powerful and strong female characters.”

Talking about her idea of a perfect relationship, the 23-year-old revealed, “While I was growing up, I watched a lot of Shah Rukh Khan’s (actor) films, and I wanted an ideal man who would be madly in love with me and look at me with love-struck eyes. After a while, I realised that love is a lot about communication and friendship.”

In another interview with ETimes, the starlet commented how Gehraiyaan helped her look at life differently. 

"It helped me stop being judgemental about things, especially when it’s about relationships and things I am not aware of. Relationships are always between two people and what happens is often between them. No one knows what makes them happy and what makes it all work," Ananya remarked. She further added, "Personally, I feel, at this point, infidelity is a deal-breaker for me, but 10 years down the line, I don’t know if I will feel the same way. I haven’t lived and experienced enough on my own, but through the film, I learned that you need to place yourself in others’ shoes and be empathetic towards what’s happening, the place and the time when it’s happening, and how things are playing out internally. It has changed my perspective on relationships completely."

The actor, who made her debut with Karan Johar's production Student of the Year 2, spoke in length about her character in Gehraiyaan. 

"Most people don’t know me as a person as such. But those who do know me know that I am a lot like Tia. So, I didn’t have to look at relationships around me to understand her psyche. Shakun had realised that even before I knew it. Playing the part was cathartic in the sense that it can be scary," she said, adding, "It’s not like I was playing myself, but I had to borrow a lot of myself for the role. I can’t say that I have felt everything the way and with the magnitude that Tia feels in the film, but I have felt most of the things that she feels."

The actor commented how she had to divulge deeper into her own personality. "Maybe I have felt them in smaller proportions and not in the manner in which she goes through them, and probably at a superficial level. So, while playing her, I had to dive in deeper and imagine myself in even more uncomfortable situations to aptly depict Tia’s fragility, vulnerability and insecurities. You build barriers around you, so people don’t see that side of you, and then you have to play it out on screen for millions of people to see," Ananya continued. 

"The thought is scary, but once you get past that, it can be one of the most liberating feelings. Although in the film, my character goes through something much higher than I have experienced, I’ve also had my heart broken, felt cheated and hurt and even my view is as innocent as her where I like to see the best in people," she concluded. 

Gehraiyaan will stream on Amazon Prime on February 11. 

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