From Adults Grappling With Childhood Trauma To Complexity Of Domestic Abuse, Things Gehraiyaan Gets Right!
Alisha's (Deepika) scenes with her father (Naseeruddin Shah) and their deep conversations about her childhood trauma and how it shaped her reality about relationships are indeed worth applauding.
(TW: The article mentions suicide and domestic abuse, which could be triggering for some readers.)
When Shakun Batra tells a story, you have your hopes up. After Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu hai Kapoor and sons, expectations were sky high from Gehraiyaan. This feature film claimed to be a modern-day tale of dysfunctional romantic relationships.
While the trailer hinted at the film being about infidelity, there was so much more hidden in the depths of Shakun Batra's world.
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Gehraiyaan's fate after its release is eerily similar to Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha. There are extreme reviews, and people have either dissed the movie or accepted it whole-heartedly. Another similarity is its take on complex and twisted modern-day relationships.
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Amidst the criticism and drastic reviews, the movie should be given credit where it's due.
Writers Shakun Batra and Ayesha Devitre, Sumit Roy, and Yash Sahai had their hearts in the right place.
Alisha's (Deepika) scenes with her father (Naseeruddin Shah) and their deep conversations about her childhood trauma and how it shaped her reality about relationships are indeed worth applauding.
A scene from Gehraiyan
How many times have a mainstream film showcased adults grappling with childhood trauma with just honesty and sensitivity?
Both Alisha and Zain, who are seen in unhappy relationships, have survived traumatic childhoods.
A still from gehraiyaan
While Alisha¡¯s mother died by suicide, Zain, on the other hand, who made several attempts to ¡°save¡± his mother from domestic abuse, is living with the guilt of abandoning her mother.
A Still from gehraiyaan
The way Shakun and his team have shown the side of women who stay complacent and silent in domestic abuse because of the complexities that come with it is striking.
A scene from Gehraiyaan
Gehraiyaan managed to show Alisha's bouts of anxiety and other mental health issues ¡ª like insecurities, emotional dysregulation, and impulsive behaviors, especially whenever a current situation teleports her to the haunted memories of her childhood-her parents quarreling, her mother telling her how 'she is stuck' and much more.
A still from Gehraiyaan
In one of the scenes, Naseeruddin Shah, who plays Ayesha's (Deepika) father, sees her daughter attempting self-harm.
Instead of creating a scene or making it uncomfortable for someone dealing with suicidal thoughts, we see him dealing in a calm and composed manner. How often do we see Indian parents understanding the emotional complexities that their children go through?
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Fans have pointed out how the film managed to nail it.
If you watch #Gehraiyaan hoping for perfect relations, romance u're wrong.
¡ª Ashmita ? (@HKBursinMiyy) February 13, 2022
It's about struggles of life, complications from childhood to adulthood & beyond.
We all seek for love, sometimes we do wrong to protect ourselves, our past always builds us yet we can let go of our past.
Overall I liked Gehraiyaan, especially the deeper story of Deepika Padukone's character (AL) in the movie. *SPOILER*- In a nutshell it starts with AL's perceived truth & childhood trauma, how she wants to escape from it & doesn't want to end up like her mother & towards the end
¡ª Anuj Shah (@theMetroKid) February 13, 2022
I don¡¯t know why people are finding it difficult to accept #gehraiyaan ¡®s Deepika who is dealing with childhood trauma and mental illness but equally as vulnerable as the young demure Rani in Paheli, the new bride trying to settle in a strange place.
¡ª kamal (@KarunaHeals) February 13, 2022
Running from something your whole life to find that you have ended up right there.
¡ª sushi.insideout (@sushee28) February 12, 2022
Childhood trauma, healing, making different choices, thriving
All of these are beautifully portrayed in a first of its kind movie, Gehraiyaan.
I can't believe they made it entertaining to
Kudos
There are women who love space and star wars and are NOT looking for a casual romantic complication as shown in #Gehraiyaan.There are women who faced many trauma in their childhood & not necessarily have become broken. There are women who know how to accept the past and move on.
¡ª Deblina Chakravorty (@hashjaru) February 12, 2022
Watched Gehraiyaan and felt how layered and deep this was. It was something soo different..It was about how adults strive. It was about adulthood, the anxiety and severity of childhood trauma that affects one's whole life. #Gehraiyaan
¡ª samee._ (@xxx49088347) February 12, 2022
#Gehraiyaan messed me up! What is wrong with people! And my man Naseeruddin Shah stole the show, again. What an actor! ? pic.twitter.com/zzdB1f4mt5
¡ª manab jyoti sarmah (@manabsays) February 12, 2022
One of the best things about #Gehraiyaan is Deepika and Naseeruddin Shah? pic.twitter.com/jZ42P5v5pl
¡ª Mannu (@mannu040) February 12, 2022
Naseeruddin Shah ?#Gehraiyaan pic.twitter.com/aHU2JBLna9
¡ª ? ? ? ? (@ImmuTweetz) February 12, 2022
Still thinking about this scene with Naseeruddin sb and Deepika towards the end of Gehraiyaan. Reminded me of the scene with Elio and his dad at the end of Call Me By Your Name. pic.twitter.com/nJu2G88g94
¡ª Zaalim Samaj (@EmpressMarket) February 12, 2022
This is not the first time Shakun has attempted to delve deeper into the childhood trauma of adults. In Kapoor and Sons, released in 2016, we saw Tia (Played by Alia Bhatt) having a heart-to-heart conversation with Arjun, telling him why she hates birthdays.
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Tia opens up about the trauma of losing her parents and the guilt of not having one last conversation with them.
Despite people criticizing the film, there is so much more to Gehraiyaan. The way writers of Gehraiyaan have shown the courage to explore the visual language of human vulnerability and dysfunctionalities in relationships is worth giving Gehraiyaan a watch!
(If you know anyone battling depression or other mental health issues, please reach out to someone who can help. AASRA Foundation: 022 2754 6669 Samaritans Mumbai: +91 84229 84528 / +91 84229 84529 / +91 84229 84530 Sanjivini Society for Mental Health: +911124311918)
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