Gehraiyaan

Gehraiyaan (2022)

Directed by: Shakun Batra
Streaming on Prime

Spoilers Ahead.

Gehraiyaan was marketed like it's a film about infidelity, but it's much deeper than that. The film is high on tension and drama, because it is filled with secrets, revelations and there are lots of moments with terrific tension - for example - the scene where Tia video calls Contractor, the first time when Alisha and Zain kiss in her studio, the scene where Tia confronts Zain and throws her ring away and finally when Alisha sees Zain mixing pills into her drink. All these scenes create tension by the difference in knowledge between the audience and the characters. The audience knows more than the characters. I loved how Tia doesn't know about the affair till the very ending, and how the film ends. It's beautiful. I like how Zain is torn between the two women and how he changes his side according to the situation. At first, he gets carried away and thinks that he can have whatever he wants to. Later, he realizes that he's in trouble and that he still has a shot at life if he cleans this up and by killing Alisha.

I like how Alisha's character is designed with the help of childhood trauma - the way they use flash cuts in between is very interesting. I love how they set up the flashback in a way the whole time, and put a big twist on it. Because by now, we like Alisha are empathizing with the idea that one shouldn't be stuck and if they are getting a better deal in life, they should go for it even if it's "wrong". But after we get to know that Alisha's mother was having an affair, the entire worldview of the film suddenly changes. Till that point, the one thing Alisha didn't want to do is become like her mother and she exactly did the same as what her mother did. I loved the film for the way it carried tension throughout the runtime - as good as a thriller.