Shakun Batra on Gehraiyaan’s OTT release: I didn’t want to keep holding this film for long, it was ready

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012), his debut directorial, thenKapoor & Sons (2016) , and now Gehraiyaan– all of them have had on thing in common- they have all been about families. And Shakun Batra, the director of all three, says it has been sub-conscious.

“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,” says the 39-year-old.

Starring Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa, the film was anticipated to release on the big screen. However, the makers decided to release it directly on an OTT platform. Ask him the reason, and Batra says, “I grew up on films I absolutely loved and admired, and which made me want to become a filmmaker. I have watched all of them on TV, DVDs and my laptop. I have always felt a good story will connect regardless of how and where you watch it.”

And the pandemic, too played a role in this decision. “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,” says the director.

He is calling the genre of his film domestic noir. Ask him to explain, and he says, “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.”