'Intimacy is not easy': Deepika Padukone reveals Gehraiyaan director Shakun Batra created safe environment on the sets

On Thursday, Deepika Padukone remarked that achieving on-screen closeness is difficult, and she appreciated filmmaker Shakun Batra for creating a secure environment on the sets of her current film, Gehraiyaan. The film also stars Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, and Dhairya Karwa and is billed as a drama about complex modern relationships. At the film's virtual trailer event, Padukone praised Batra for establishing a comfortable and secure setting, especially for the film's intimate scenes.

The actor stated to the press that Shakun made herself and all of them feel safe and secure, which is important because intimacy is difficult. She said it's not anything they have seen or experienced in Indian cinema before in the way that this film does. 

Padukone praised Batra by sharing that if the director isn't doing it for the money, one can go down that path of intimacy and vulnerability as there is where the characters' experiences and journeys originate. She said it's doable if one feels safe and secure in their surroundings.

The film's producers have enlisted filmmaker Dar Gai to act as the intimacy director, which is a first for a major Bollywood film.

Meanwhile, Gehraiyaan is a raw film, according to the 36-year-old performer, and she had to go deep into her real-life experiences to play Alisha.

The actor told the media that she wanted to call her character "bold," but also didn't want to say "bold" because the way they interpreted "bold" in their films was raw. Padukone called this character a lot more raw and real than some of the others, just emotionally, completely stripped, naked, and vulnerable, and it had to come from a deep place to be able to do it on screen. 

The Chennai Express actor revealed she haven't had such experiences previously, but this time she had to delve deeper and visit places that were not nice in her own life, as well as cope with mental health difficulties. So, all of that came from a deep place for her.

When asked why he chose Dar Gai as the film's intimacy director, Batra explained that he believes intimacy is a highly specialized sector that requires a specialist's supervision, similar to choreography and action.

He said that one has to create an environment where actors feel secure, where one has considered everything and prepared as thoroughly as they would for a song or action sequence.

According to the Kapoor and Sons director, the intimacy directors play a crucial role in the development of films in the West.

The filmmaker shared there's a procedure, and he believes they should follow it. Batra's goal was to create a system that was comfortable for everyone. Throughout the film, whenever they had a crew, such as a cameraman, they wanted to learn about their perspective on intimacy.

He also said they were approaching intimacy as if it were a character in a story, and they wanted to see it as such. Thus, the preparation and detailing were required. It was critical to Batra that they have a director of intimacy. 

The filmmaker also added that Dar Gai, in particular, had made a significant contribution to the film. Thus, it's critical that we all treat her with the same respect that they do all HODs.

Batra praised Padukone, saying he was astounded by the Bollywood star's hunger and commitment to the project. He shared that it was incredible to see her at this stage of her career attempting to play roles that were so difficult. Batra can't see this movie without her, and he can't see it with anyone else either. Thus, he was glad they were able to complete it.

Gehraiyaan is set to stream on Amazon Prime Video from February 11, 2022.