Sanyukta Singh
Gaslighting. Infidelity. Drama. The trailer of Gehraiyaan - with its star-studded cast and catchy songs - alluded to a movie about love affairs and heartbreak. The actual storyline, however, revealed so much more. Gehraiyaan explored complex romantic and familial relationships through the lens of human vulnerability and trauma. We see Alisha and Zain fall for each other while still being in long-term relationships with their significant others. The instant connection between them was strengthened by one common link - childhood trauma. Although it’s easy to scorn Alisha and Zain for cheating on their partners prima facie, the unraveling of their backstories highlights the depths (or gehraiyaan) of human behaviour and decision making. The childhood trauma that they both suffered translated into their adult relationships and can be viewed from the psychological lenses of generational trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Generational trauma refers to the passing down of trauma-related disorders from one generation to the next. The impact certain harrowing experiences have on an individual, can extend beyond them and spill over into future generations. It can occur at a large scale (observed in victims of the Holocaust) or at a smaller scale (observed in victims of child abuse). The denial and minimization of trauma are two crucial instigators of generational trauma. In Gehraiyaan, Alisha witnessed her mother express feelings of being stuck in her life and ultimately committing suicide. In addition, Zain often saw his father beat his mother. In both instances, the traumatic experiences were never acknowledged. Blaming her father for her mother’s death, Alisha never conversed with him about the incident; Zain called the cops on his father, but his mother refused to accept that she was a victim of domestic violence. The older generations, therefore, “set the precedence for younger generations” which can explain Alisha and Zain’s behaviour (Inter-Generational Trauma: 6 Ways It Affects Families | Office for Institutional Equity, n.d.).
Although they both had troubled childhoods, their traumas manifested in different ways. Zain’s decision to leave his family for his own sake instilled in him a strong sense of self-preservation. His hypervigilance and unresolved trauma drove him to become manipulative, selfish and violent to safeguard himself. In fact, he was willing to murder Alisha - while she was pregnant with his child - to ensure that his fiance would continue financing his tanking, shady project. He cheated people financially and emotionally to achieve his career ambitions. Alisha, on the contrary, experienced her mother’s depression and constantly feared ending up like her. This fear underpins her decision to cheat on her boyfriend and make impulsive decisions. In addition, Alisha felt helpless whereas Zain believed one can control their fate. The dichotomy between their behaviours, despite their shared desire to break out of their parents’ cycle of trauma, illustrates “the theme of inevitability and fate versus choices and the question of whether we are destined to end up like those who raised us or can we create our own path” (Naik, 2022).
Individuals with mental illnesses often have comorbidities. In addition to displaying signs of generational trauma, the movie also hints that Alisha could have PTSD. PTSD “is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened” (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 2019). Alisha frequently has flashbacks about her parents fighting and her mother’s depression and suicide. As stated by the National Institute of Mental Health, flashbacks along with accelerated heart rate or sweating is a common recurring symptom of PTSD as the patient relives the trauma over and over again. We also see Alisha take medicines for her anxiety every time she has these flashbacks that are triggered by watching old videos of her family or having conversations about her childhood. Gehraiyaan portrays PTSD in an authentic way by not going over the top with dramatic scenes and displaying common symptoms of PTSD - flashbacks, frightening thoughts, negative self-perception and self-harm. The way Alisha is shown to handle her anxiety - with the use of medication and conversations with loved ones - also stays true to recovery methods.
One way to break through the loop of generational trauma is to have “productive conversations with family members” (Intergenerational Trauma: Recognize These Signs & Symptoms, n.d.). A breakthrough scene between Alisha and her father highlights the importance of having a strong support system. By confiding in her father, Alisha is able to acknowledge her past trauma and recognize that recovery is possible. In addition, this scene highlights the fact that mental illnesses do not define individuals and that the “person is not the diagnosis” (Hooley et al., 2021, p. 8). Seeking support from loved ones is also a method that can promote recovery for PTSD patients. Medication is another way that patients can cope with their anxiety which is illustrated in Gehraiyaan.
Along with social support and medication, there are other methods of recovery that Gehraiyaan did not go into. Seeing a therapist or a mental health professional is crucial in the recovery process. Although medication makes the symptoms of PTSD more manageable, this biological approach only targets the symptoms of the disorder, not the root causes. Psychotherapy allows individuals to learn ways to react differently to the frightening events that trigger their PTSD symptoms. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - which focuses on changing “the thought patterns that are disturbing your life” - is a common approach for treating PTSD and can include exposure therapy and cognitive restructuring (What are the Treatments for PTSD?, 2017).
Gehraiyaan adequately portrayed generational trauma and PTSD. This movie is a step in the right direction for the representation of mental disorders because it highlights generational trauma which is not often talked about, even though “for every 100 persons who were abused as children, 40 transmit this violence to the next generation” (Swaminathan, 2020). Alisha showed symptoms common to those with PTSD and the backstories of Alisha and Zain highlight how generational trauma manifests and translates down generations. In addition, by showing the contrast between Zain and Alisha’s behaviours, Gehraiyaan touched upon an important aspect of mental disorders - despite having common symptoms, the way illnesses affect individuals is different for everyone. There is no one single prototype of what someone with generational trauma or PTSD looks like. This message, however, could have been strengthened had the movie dived into Zain’s life a little more.
Overall, Gehraiyaan sensitively handles mental illness by abiding by the medically identified symptoms and recovery strategies. By highlighting how mental disorders affect the day-to-day lives of regular individuals, the movie strays from the stereotype of mentally ill persons being “crazy”. Taking this into consideration, it is important to note that the emotional scene between Alisha and her father could give the audience the notion that simply talking about their condition will result in recovery. The movie could have been more effective in stressing the importance of therapy, something which is still stigmatized in Indian society.
References
Hooley, J. M., Nock, M. K., & Butcher, J. N. (2021). Abnormal Psychology (18th Edition). Pearson Education. https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/program/Hooley-Abnormal-Psychology-RENTAL-EDITION-18th-Edition/PGM100003097225.html
Inter-generational Trauma: 6 Ways It Affects Families | Office for Institutional Equity. (n.d.). Duke Office for Institutional Equity. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://oie.duke.edu/inter-generational-trauma-6-ways-it-affects-families
Intergenerational Trauma: Recognize These Signs & Symptoms. (n.d.). Michael G. Quirke, MFT. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://michaelgquirke.com/recognize-these-intergenerational-trauma-signs-symptoms/
Naik, D. (2022, February 22). How Gehraiyaan portrays and addresses generational trauma. Mintlounge. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://lifestyle.livemint.com/health/wellness/how-gehraiyaan-portrays-and-addresses-generational-trauma-111645437817602.html
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (2019, May). National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
Swaminathan, M. (2020, March 4). The legacy of childhood trauma. The Hindu. Retrieved March 3, 2022, from https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-legacy-of-childhood-trauma/article30974938.ece#:%7E:text=Researchers%20have%20estimated%20an%20average,was%20a%20victim%20of%20violence.
What Are the Treatments for PTSD? (2017, March 22). WebMD. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-are-treatments-for-posttraumatic-stress-disorder
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