Shakun Batra says he’s getting abusive mails for Gehraiyaan: ‘Picture banani nahi aati’

Filmmaker Shakun Batra’s latest release Gehraiyaan has divided the audience. The film deals with infidelity, featuring Deepika Padukone as a woman who has an affair with her cousin’s fiancé (played by Siddhant Chaturvedi, with Ananya Panday playing the cousin).

While it has received largely positive reviews from critics, the audience response has been quite polarising. Director Shakun himself admitted in a recent interview that he has received rather contrasting feedback, ranging from abusive e-mails to appreciation.

In a conversation with film critic Sucharita Tyagi on her YouTube channel, Shakun said, “I had an e-mail where the subject was B****d (a Hindi cuss word). Then the mail just said, ‘B****d picture banani nahi aati hai to kyun banata hai? Kuch aur kar leta (If you don’t know how to make a film, why do you? Do something else).”

However, Shakun said many have been praising the film too. He added, “Then, I had an email from a psychologist in Brisbane who said the psychology of the characters really added up to him. I feel cognitive dissonance. I have made peace with two completely opposing thoughts in my mind. I don’t know how it happened. But, I think forget about the movie, it’s growth in me to have accepted the polarisation. I think I have grown.”

Many fans have appreciated a mature take on adult, non-judgemental relationships and infidelity in the film. However, others have criticised the film for being superficial or even what they felt was promoting or glorifying adultery.

Prior to the film’s release, in an interview to Hindustan Times, Shakun had said he didn’t want to judge the characters of his film. “For me, it is a responsibility that when I take a character or a subject – in this case, infidelity – I make sure I’m not trying to take sides but make sure that the audience comes in with the same curiosity that I had. Let them arrive at an answer as opposed to me telling them. The attempt is that,” he said.

Also read: Gehraiyaan director Shakun Batra on film’s intimate scenes: ‘I’m not playing it for shock value

Gehraiyaan released on Amazon Prime Video on February 11. The film also features Dhairya Karwa, Naseeruddin Shah, and Rajat Kapoor in important roles.