Shakun Batra Looks Back At The Mistakes Of Gehraiyaan, Says “I Would Change It For Creative Reasons, Not For Numbers”(Photo Credit –Instagram)
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Director Shakun Batra is known for making movies that showcase different layers of human emotions and internal struggles. The filmmaker kickstarted his career in 2012 with Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and directed Kapoor & Sons in 2016. His most recent film, Gehraiyaan, released in 2022 and received a mixed response from the audience. Shakun recently reflected on the movie and shared he could have done a few things differently. Scroll on to learn more.
Gehraiyaan starred Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Dhairya Karwa in leading roles. The film shed light on complicated relationships, greed, lies and betrayal.
Shakun Batra made a bold move by releasing the multi-starrer movie on an OTT platform. During an interview with Indian Express recently, the director said that releasing the film in theatres would not have changed the reviews it received. While he did not regret this decision, he did regret the marketing strategies associated with the film. “I mean, it went to OTT so there is no box office attached, but I would change it for creative reasons, not for numbers,” he said.
Gehraiyaan had multiple twists in its plot. While the bold scenes highlighted Deepika and Sidhant’s chemistry, they seemed rather abrupt. What started as a complicated love story slowly became a crime drama. While talking about it, Shakun Batra said, “It was perceived as a certain kind of film and then it surprised people in not such a good way. I would prepare the audience differently, but at the same time tell the story differently, starting from the very beginning. So that when they arrive at the surprise, they would be a little more in for it, prepared for it.”
Gehraiyaan was one of the most anticipated movies of 2022. Not just the audience but Shakun had high expectations from the film as well. The polarising opinions about the drama confused him initially, but he accepted them soon. He said, “As a filmmaker, I have to embrace whatever a story becomes. I have to first ask myself some questions: Did I do everything that I wanted to do with it? Did I put my heart? And if I didn’t make the film for the wrong reasons. Then I have to accept the views in totality.”
Shakun Batra added, “I can’t be like those who have written good things about the film are right people, those who have written bad things are wrong. I have to accept that a film is capable enough of creating both these reactions.”
The director is entirely correct, and we are sure he will use these learnings better in his next project.
