Rajat Kapoor on 'Gehraiyaan' being ahead of it's time: "Maybe 10 years later it would do better...."

In a recent exclusive interview with India Forums, veteran actor Rajat Kapoor had an in-depth talk on various subjects while promoting his show Tanaav Season 2. While he gave insights about his character in the show and his role, his camaraderie with other members, and its importance, he also shed light on his films' Kapoor and Sons and 'Gehraiyaan', and if he feels they are being made ahead of the time.  

When questioned, "sir, when working on long-format shows, actors often become deeply invested in their characters. With two seasons of the show now, how emotionally attached are you to your characters, and does this attachment affect you personally?"

To this, Rajat replied, "You don't invest that much in the character, and it is also at the time of the shoot. After that, you don't carry that. I don't know, I think, I'm not trying to think of it, it could happen to somebody if somebody was very, let's say, not formed as a person, maybe, I'm speculating, then you could get affected. For example, when you read a book or when you watch a film, you could get very affected by it at the age of 20 or 22. But not so much later, so I think you are pretty sure of who you are, and this is the part you played."

When questioned, Sudhir sir mentioned that you all bonded well off-screen, even staying in touch after the shoot. Do you feel that this off-screen camaraderie makes it easier to perform well on screen?

To this Rajat added, "You know what happens when you know your co-actors well and you know your team well, there's a certain amount of trust that grows, and that translates well on screen. Because then you are good with give and take. You say a line and I might improvise it some other way and that might give you an idea to improvise some other way, and then that helps everybody's characters."

When asked, talking about your films, "Kapoor and Sons" and "Gehraiyaan" and there's a debate on social media that these films were ahead of their time. With the current trend of re-releases, do you think now might be the time for these films to return to theatres? Do you also feel they were ahead of their time?

To this he exclaimed, "I don't know if they were made ahead of their time, especially 'Kapoor and Sons' did very well for its time. So, I don't know if it was released now it would have done better because it already did quite well. Of course, yeah. 'Gehraiyaan' may be, but I'm not sure if the time is right for 'Gehraiya.' I personally like 'Gehraiyaan' more than 'Kapoor and Sons.' I think it's quite nice and dark, which I like, and I think Shakun Batra also is growing as a director, and I really think his next film will be even better and for 'Gehraiyaan', I don't know if it would do better now I'm not sure maybe 10 years later. 

Watch the full interview HERE

On talking about a specific film he would want to revisit in theatres, he said, "I don't mind watching 'Gangs of Wasseypur' second part now and even 'Tumbbad,' which I have not seen in a theatre, so I might go and watch it."

For the unversed, Gehraiyaan is a romantic drama directed by Shakun Batra. Produced by Dharma Productions, Viacom18 Studios, and Jouska Films, the film features Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi in the lead roles, alongside Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa, Rajat Kapoor, and Naseeruddin Shah in supporting roles.

Premiered on Amazon Prime Video on February 11, 2022, Gehraiyaan garnered mixed reviews from critics. While it was lauded for its soundtrack, cinematography, visual aesthetics, and the performances of its cast, the film faced criticism for its story, screenplay, and climax.