Gehraiyaan

<p>Alisha “Al” Khanna, a 30-year-old instructor in , is developing a wellness app while financially supporting her boyfriend, Karan, an aspiring . She suffers from , rooted in unresolved trauma from her mother Sonali’s and estrangement from her father, Vinod. Alisha’s cousin, Tia, invites the couple to her family’s beach house in , where she is staying with her fiancé, Zain Oberoi, a successful . Alisha and Zain bond over shared emotional struggles and eventually begin an . Their relationship intensifies after Alisha learns Karan shared his with Tia but not with her. Zain arranges for his company to invest in Alisha’s app and claims he intends to end his engagement. Although Alisha initially tries to reconcile with Karan, she later ends the relationship and continues seeing Zain. As Zain’s company comes under investigation for financial irregularities, tensions rise. Tia becomes suspicious and confronts Zain, who denies any misconduct. Alisha later tells Zain she is pregnant. At the same time, Tia agrees to mortgage the family beach house to save Zain’s company, but Zain sells it instead. Jitesh, Zain’s associate, deduces the affair and pressures Alisha to confront Zain during a business meeting. Zain invites Alisha onto his , telling her he has ended his engagement. When Alisha notices him spiking her drink, she tries to leave. During the confrontation, Zain slips, hits his head, and drowns. Alisha returns home and later suffers a . Jitesh blackmails Alisha into retrieving documents that would allow him to conceal Zain’s death as a suicide. Tia later reveals that Alisha is the daughter of her father, Kumud, and Sonali, the result of an . Alisha confronts her father, Vinod, who confirms the story. Two years later, Alisha attends Karan’s engagement party. She reconnects with Tia, who is unaware of the affair. At the event, a guest recognizes Alisha from a previous encounter with Zain and refers to her as his fiancée. In April 2019, director was initially reported to helm a biopic based on spiritual leader ; however, the project was later shelved. At the 21st edition of the (MAMI) in October 2019, Batra confirmed his next directorial would feature and described it as a “ .” Following a script narration at the office in December 2019, Padukone officially joined the project. That same month, and were reported to be under consideration for the male leads; however, Chaturvedi was ultimately cast, while Kaushal was replaced. was finalized as the second female lead, marking her first collaboration with Dharma Productions after (2019). In March 2020, joined the cast as Padukone’s character’s love interest. was initially scheduled to take place in ; however, due to the and associated travel restrictions, production was delayed and later relocated to due to its comparable coastal setting. Filming began in September 2020 and continued for approximately one month. The team resumed production in Mumbai in December 2020, following a short hiatus. A final shooting schedule commenced in March 2021 and concluded in August 2021. The film employed an intimacy department, led by , which included coach Neha Vyas and coordinator Aastha Khanna. This marked one of the first mainstream Hindi films to credit such a team for choreographing intimate scenes. The project had been referred to internally as “Production No. 70” for two years before the title was revealed with a teaser on 20 December 2021. The film’s music and background score were composed by artists Kabeer Kathpalia (also known as OAFF) and Savera Mehta, marking their mainstream film debut. The lyrics were written by and Ankur Tewari. The track featured in the announcement teaser was the Hindi version of “Frontline,” originally performed by Lothika Jha, with Hindi lyrics adapted by Tewari. received mixed reviews from critics. While the film’s performances, visual style, cinematography, and soundtrack were widely praised, its screenplay, story, and climax drew criticism. On the , the film holds a 64% approval rating based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. of rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing that it “has an enigmatic air from its opening scene and gradually takes on an additional layer of unrelenting foreboding.” Sanjana Jadhav of similarly awarded it 4 stars, noting that the film is “a deep dive into an individual’s and family’s past choices, relationships, and why we do what we do.” Renuka Vyavahare of gave it 3.5 stars, observing that director Shakun Batra “tries to decode complex human behavior and its consequences through a story that’s tough to narrate.” Several other critics praised the film’s technical aspects and performances. Umesh Punwani of rated it 3.5 out of 5, commenting that “the film’s title does so much justice to its story.” ‘s Devesh Sharma echoed the sentiment, calling it “a technically sound film having some fine performances and carrying a hint of mystery as well.” Roktim Rajpal of , Simran Singh of , and of also gave 3.5-star reviews, with Verma noting that “embodies to perfection the in the title.” Shilajit Mitra of found the film commendable for a mainstream Hindi release but noted flaws in its dialogue. Other critics offered more tempered responses. of gave it 3 stars, describing it as “a mature relationship drama with niche appeal, bravura performances, and an exciting climax.” Phuong Le of also rated it 3 out of 5, comparing its twists to those of ’90s erotic thrillers, while praising Padukone’s performance as a standout. Less favorable reviews came from , , and . rated it 2 out of 5, stating that the film “doesn’t go deep enough.” of shared a similar view, calling it “utterly devoid of humor and zing.” Shantanu Ray Chaudhari of was more critical, rating it 1 star and writing that “the writing veers between the trite and the ridiculous.”</p>