Shakun Batra's 'Gehraiyaan' Isn’t The Only Movie On Infidelity, But Here’s Why It Stands Out

Gehraiyaan opens to Alisha (Deepika Padukone), a 30-something yoga instructor giving a demo of her app to possible investors. We are then introduced to her live-in boyfriend, Karan (Dhairya Karwa) and the two clearly are in a dead-end relationship, mainly due to the nature of their esoteric professions – he an unpublished writer and she, a yoga instructor.?

Enters, Alisha’s cousin Tia (Ananya Panday), who is from family wealth and her boyfriend Zain (Siddhant Chaturvedi) is in the real estate business. The couples take a trip to Alibaug, where Alisha and Zain find themselves drawn to each other. Hesitant, at first the two give in to their attraction and soon begin a secret affair.??

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Infidelity has been explored in Bollywood quite a few times. Be it Silsila or Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna or Arth or the more subtle of all of them ‘Lunchbox’.?

In fact, it has been a done to death concept. Extra marital affairs have been explored in Bollywood since time immemorial. Be it Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna to Mahesh Bhatt’s Arth or Anurag Basu’s Murder, extra marital affairs have always incensed filmmakers to take a bold plunge with showing complex adult relationships as opposed to the usual saccharine sweet love-stories.?

Extra-marital affairs in movies such as Maqbool or Bombay Talkies, have a slightly nuanced and a more sensitive approach to infidelity such as in Bombay Talkies, the husband’s hidden sexuality is the reason for his cheating.?

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, had a touching story about two people married to incompatible partners, but the excess Bollywood-ization ruined the outcome of the film. Arth, which was supposed to be Mahesh Bhatt’s autobiographical anecdote also deals with a married man falling in love with an obsessive actress. Murder, had a slightly different angle as the man manipulates his former lover into having an affair with him. Yash Chopra’s Silsila which featured the infamous love triangle between Amitabh Bachchan- Rekha- Jaya Bachchan is one of the iconic films in Bollywood. It touched upon the subject with a lot of subtlety and mainly people knew of an alleged love triangle between the trio offscreen as well.?

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Another movie that is perhaps, Bollywood’s most underrated gem and one that captures adult relationships perfectly is ‘Life In A Metro’. Shilpa Shetty and Kay Kay Menon are trapped in a loveless marriage and both seek romance outside of their marriage.?

That too dwelled into urban lives and the loneliness that comes with it. The movies Pati, Patni Aur Woh, Masti and Biwi No 1, add that humorous and funny take on infidelity with hilarious situations and outcomes.?

Shakun Batra’s Gehraiyaan takes it up a notch. It has an unique and raw take on infidelity which has been unlike anything ever seen in Indian movies. Here in the film you are presented with four privileged adults leading carefree lives and with three chasing esoteric dreams and careers. Their characters and story arcs seem relatable because they bare their soul to the camera just as how we would to a friend or a loved one. It adds that extra element of trauma being carried into adult relationships and why we make certain decisions without being fully evil or good.?

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At the end of the day, one cannot root for anyone indulging in infidelity. It harms people and ruins lives and careers. To be stuck in such a relationship is both devastating and traumatic. It is a grim reality which most of us accepted yet it is a bitter pill to swallow. Our movies perhaps make it easier for us to deal with complex relationships in an era where someone better is just a right swipe away.?

To sum it up, why Gehraiyaan is all heart despite its flaws is because we are have relatable characters and close to home situations.?