His films, including directorial debut Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012), Kapoor & Sons (2016) and now Gehraiyaan, have all had one thing in common — they revolve around family. And director Shakun Batra explains why the subject is close to his heart: “Family equation — the internal dynamics between people — provide a great fodder for storytelling. There’s always a past history. When you make stories about people who have recently met, there is no history. I’ve always enjoyed characters that share a common past, as it makes for interesting viewing.”

Starring actors Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa, the film was anticipated to release on the big screen. But, the makers decided to go ahead with an OTT release for the project. “I grew up on films I absolutely loved and admired, which made me want to become a filmmaker. I watched all of them on TV, DVDs or laptop. I feel a good story will always connect, regardless of how and where you watch it,” says the 39-year-old.

And the pandemic played a role in this decision, too. “Given the current Coronavirus situation, people need to be safe. I 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 it’s already there on OTT platforms,” says Batra.