Is Gehraiyaan about love or Infidelity?

Love isn’t just a feeling; it’s an art. And like any art, it takes not only inspiration, but also a lot of work.

Paulo Coelho, Adultery 

Infidelity, adultery or cheating in relationships are very fascinating when it comes to literature, cinema, music or any other art form. And like Paulo in "Adultery" writes, art takes a lot of hard work and not just inspiration, the same way infidelity takes a lot of hard work too. Works that talk about it get the instant attention of the masses because a lot of people cheat and a lot get cheated. Bollywood has a history of movies that are around shades of infidelity and they are remembered for it.

    A lot of people define or justify, and sometimes are found reasoning adultery to lovelessness, disregarded emotions and suppressed sexual desires, but the latest bollywood movie, Gehraiyaan takes another turn to try and find a rationale for why people cheat. The Deepika Padukone and Siddhant starrer is a movie to provide a bigger picture and not see love with black and white rules. Director Shakun said in an interview that he had wanted to make a film about infidelity for a long time. “Infidelity because I feel for the last so many years the idea of romance and love has been oversimplified in Hindi films and it did not feel authentic to me, it did not speak to me. I just wanted to zoom out and start seeing more complexity in the idea of love. I wanted to go to a place that did not seem so black and white. I wanted to explore the greys,” he explained. 

Is infidelity really something to be explored among greys or is it just merely a pretence to disguise being a person with no morals and principles?

Whereas there might seem points where you might think that the movie sets out to glorify or bring in the stage of acceptance via this work. Infidelity can never be justified and, in my opinion, the film was not to glorify it, rather it acknowledges it and presents it in its true nature. Infidelity is a lot about fear & secrecy that is made available in the movie. In one scene, Deepika's character "Alisha" moves to shut the blinds and curtains when Siddhanth's character "Zain" tries to get close to her, alluding to the fear of being found out and depicting the secrecy of their affair. There’s always that melancholic hesitation between their guilt-ridden characters, and the movie shows that doubt in scenes, making for a very realistic depiction of the complications of relationships. 

Now another major thought that struck me after the movie is, why? Women when shown choosing infidelity in the center, call for the work to be turned into a drama or something to be worth delving deeper into and exploring raw emotions and desires? 

What are your thoughts on Gehraiyaan? Leave your comments if you have anything to share or object. If you enjoy reading this, maybe check out my other works! 

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