Shakun Batra On Gehraiyaan's OTT Release: Didn't Want To Keep Holding This Film For Long

After helming films like Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and Kapoor & Sons, Shakun Batra's next is Gehraiyaan featuring Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa. In his recent interaction with a leading tabloid, the filmmaker talked about taking an OTT route for the release of his film.

Shakun told Hindustan Times that he has grown up watching films that he absolutely loved and admired and that made him want to become a filmmaker. He said that he used to watch films on TV, DVDs and my laptop, adding that he always felt that a good story will connect regardless of how and where it is being watched.

Admitting that the pandemic also played an important role in their decision, the filmmaker said, "Given where we are today in terms of Covid, people need to be safe. I really didn't want to keep holding this film for long. It was ready and I felt the need to put it out. I always set out to make this film for a mature audience, and that is already there on OTT platforms."

On being asked why he calls the genre of Gehraiyaan as domestic noir, Batra explained, "It is tough to classify a genre, that's why I called it that. I am interested in day to day lives, and this film does have the element of thrill. Whether Indians have seen it or not seen it, the audience can decide that when they watch the film."

When pointing out how his previous two films and Gehraiyaan all revolve around the theme of families, Shakun said, "Family dynamics provide a great fodder for story telling, the internal dynamics between people. There's always a past history. When you make stories about people who recently met, there's no history. I have always enjoyed characters that share a common past and background, that makes for interesting viewing. Those are my thoughts, and I sit down and work consciously on them."

Gehraiyaan is slated to release on February 11 on Amazon Prime Video.