Gehraiyaan
2022 · Directed by Shakun Batra
Original language: Hindi
- romance
- drama
The story
Alisha Khanna, 30, ambitious, now finds herself at crossroads in life. Her six year long relationship has grown monotonous, her career seems to be going nowhere. But just when she had begun to accept this reality as unchangeable, her life is usurped by the arrival of her cousin, Tia and her fiancé, Zain, with whom she bonds over a troubled past and a common wish to break from its confines.
What it’s like
Warm, saturated interiors and long, unhurried takes of wealthy Mumbai apartments and sun-bleached seaside stretches, with the sea often glimpsed through open doors and balconies. Close-ups hold on faces in lamplight and late-afternoon glow, and the camera lingers on glasses, hands and quiet rooms more than on action. The soundtrack mixes lush, romantic songs with sparse, reflective pauses, so the mood shifts between sensual and melancholy. Its vibe is languid, restless and nostalgic, suited to a slow weekend afternoon, a late evening alone with a drink, or a comfort rewatch. The pacing is deliberate, with long conversations and simmering silences building toward emotional confrontations, and its people move through guilt, longing and the pull of an easier life. Intensity is low on violence and gore, with some grief and emotional cruelty in the backstory, and intimate scenes that are sensual and adult but not graphic. Best for viewers who enjoy messy adult romance and character-driven drama, and who are happy with a melancholic, emotionally heavy story rather than something light or purely gentle.
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