Despite some interesting ingredients on his platter, Pawan Kirpalani falls to cook an edge-of-the seat whodunit thriller in his latest directorial featuring Sara Ali Khan, Vikrant Massey and Chitrangda Singh.
Cast: Sara Ali Khan, Vikrant Massey, Chitrangda Singh, Akshay Oberoi
Director: Pawan Kirpalani
Writers: Neha Sharma, Pawan Kirpalani
Streaming Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
In one of the scenes in Pawan Kirpalani’s Gaslight, Meesha (Sara Ali Khan) is seen scribbling circles on a few papers in her room. Her visual depiction is exactly how this whodunit thriller moves and soon, your patience wears thin.
What’s Yay: Good concept
What’s Nay: Meandering screenplay, banal twists
Story
Years after her mother’s demise, Meesha (Sara Ali Khan), a wheelchair-bound princess, returns to her ancestral home in Gujarat to make amends with her estranged father, Maharaja Ratan Singh. Upon her arrival, Meesha receives a warm welcome from her sultry stepmother Rukmini (Chitrangda Singh). However, we soon learn that the two women share a frosty equation as Meesha believes that Rukmani was responsible for driving a wedge between her and her father.
When Meesha doesn’t find her daddy dearest in the palace, she is informed by Rukmini that he is away on a business trip and unavailable on phone call. However, soon, strange things begin to transpire around Meesha at night which causes her to reckon that her father is dead. Her suspicion grows further when a blind gypsy woman appears before her at a temple and claims that her father’s spirit wants to connect with her. A paranoid Meesha decides to seek help from their estate manager, Kapil (Vikrant Massey) to get to the bottom of the truth. In the midst of all this, other characters like Meesha’s pompous distant cousin Rana (Akshay Oberoi), a top cop Ashok (Rahul Dev), a family doctor Dr Shekhawat (Shishir Sharma) and a dog named Commander make their presence felt to add more to the mystery.
Direction
Loosely based on the 1961 British film, Taste Of Fear, director Pawan Kirpalani and his co-writer Neha Sharma begin Gaslight on a promising note with some interesting clues- a mysterious figure with a lantern on a boat, a man throwing a fishing net in the river, a broken bridge and a glimpse of a hand with some peculiar tattoos lying underwater.
Unfortunately, that thrill doesn’t last long as the screenplay begins to meander all over the place just like how Sara’s character Meesha roams around the lifeless palace looking out for some ominous signs to confirm her suspicions. The dreary pace of the narrative adds more salt to your injury. The jump scares, red herrings and lame-plotting soon become tiresome after a while.
In the last 20 minutes or so, Gaslight finally tries to tie everything together with a twist that a crime thriller aficionado can sniff miles away. While the idea of addressing a socio-psychological malady, class and power structure might sound exciting on paper, Pawan Kirpalani & team simply fail to translate it in an engrossing manner on screen.
Performances
While Sara Ali Khan wears her vulnerability and emotional fragility on her sleeve with sincere efforts, it’s the dull screenplay which barely allows her to shine beyond a certain space. The actress has a lot of potential, but she just needs to tick the right scripts in her filmography.
Vikrant Massey plays what’s offered to him with earnestness. However, the performer now needs to tap into other shades in order to avoid getting typecast.
Chitrangda Singh brings in some sass and seduction as Rukmini. A little more layered plot would have elevated her performance even more. Rahul Dev and Akshay Oberoi are wasted in their respective roles.
Technical Aspects
Ragul Dharuman’s dimly lit frames and use of shadows are just the right things needed for some atmospheric scares in films like Gaslight. Ajay Ghagare’s editing scissors do their job well.
Music
With a runtime of 1 hour and 51 minutes, director Pawan Kirpalani refrains from unnecessary insertion of songs which works in his favour. Gaurav Chatterji’s background score lends an ominous mood which goes on in sync with the theme of Gaslight.
Verdict
A paraplegic Meesha, after her repeated unsuccessful attempts in solving the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, confides in Kapil that she wants to get out of the maze. The clunky execution of Gaslight makes you relate to her feelings.
