Gaslight review: Like Sara Ali Khan, even we couldn't escape from the 'bhool bhulaiyaa' of the dreary thriller

2/5

A paraplegic girl (Sara Ali Khan) finds her father (Shataf Ahmed Figar) dead when she goes home, and her family doesn't believe her and doubts her sanity. What version of reality is accurate?

It's been a norm to make someone believe they are not in the right mind by using bizarre words or creating imaginary situations. This has a term that has become quite popular in the past few years, and that's gaslight. People have gaslighted each other on purpose and by accident to save themselves after making a big mistake. Pavan Kirpalani makes the best of the word "gaslight," and that's all he does with the premise of the film, which doesn't give a better outcome.

Gaslight follows the usual pattern of a girl named Meesha (Sara Ali Khan), who has a disability and comes back to her mansion after 15 years. She is back after her estranged father Ratan Gaikwad (Shataf Ahmed Figar) calls her, and reconciliation is on the cards. However, on returning to her house, she finds out that her father is nowhere to be found and her stepmother, Rukmini (Chitrangda Singh), is someone who should be doubted at every step. Another usual template is that it's raining the whole time as the sun sets and all the supernatural elements kick in.

I do admit there are a few jump-scare moments that made me cover my face. I had to keep telling myself that it was not a horror film but a psychological thriller. But that's something Gaslight did well; they didn't define the genre well until the end. However, the suspenseful revelations come as no surprise to someone who has been a fan of the thriller genre. Whodunnit is quite interesting when it comes to the right execution. The actors, who become the lenses of the viewers, become quite tricky, and it's upon them to make us believe that they are at the receiving end or the people behind the suspense.

When there's a missing father, an estranged daughter, and a second wife, and out of nowhere an estate manager (Vikrant Massey) enters the play. He not only becomes Meesha's shoulder but also a predictable character in the predictable plot.

The film, although shorter than two hours, feels too long and eventually boring, as all it does is create scary situations. At one point in time, Sara is heard saying, "Main iss bhool bhulaiye se bahar nikalna chahti hoon." Her character mentions it 50 minutes after we are in the film; well, I had the same feeling. I had no idea I'd have to wait another hour to see the revelations I had predicted from the start. Many things come out by the end, but I would give credit where it's due, as the final one indeed took me by surprise.

The only thing about Gaslight that works is those two jump scares at the beginning, because of Ragul Herian Dharuman's cinematography. However, that's only during the showcase of horror elements. Otherwise, either a low angle or a top angle, especially of the main characters, makes it too zoomed up and doesn't work in the favour of the actors. Even the background score by Gaurav Chaterji needs to be praised here, as it is also among the positive things to be mentioned about the film.

Coming to the screenplay by Pavan Kirpalani and Neha Veena Sharma, it's the biggest drawback of Gaslight, making it a dull watch. The gloomy setup that goes along with it, wherein one tries to find the light amid the darkness, is not something you would appreciate while watching the film at home. There are so many sequences where, half the time, it's the search for the light that takes away the attention. The mansion is one of the main characters of the film, and Nikhil Kovale's production design makes us believe it too. But Chandan Arora's editing took away the palatial charm it intended to show, and even the vintage paintings couldn't save the day.

Talking more about the screenplay, how stupid can one thing be for an audience? In one of the scenes, a visually impaired woman tells Meesha that she will get answers from her father at midnight, while Rukmini and Kapil (Vikrant) hear it too. However, at midnight, she is left alone in a garage, and I was wondering if this time she shouldn't be alone. Aren't people around the world curious to see if the "Father" returns or not? Well, that was a major giveaway before things unravelled eventually.

The performances also couldn't be justified, though each and every actor tried their level best to be convincing on screen. This is the first time Sara has forayed into the thriller genre, but her smilable face was smudged only to make her look annoyed rather than scared or worried. Vikrant, whose charm works in any genre, fails to get more space than he deserves, due to the convoluted screenplay. Chitrangda, on the other hand, had expressions that gave away more about her character than the progression of the scenes.

Gaslight is indeed an interesting attempt, but the done-and-dusted genre has nothing to offer and falters as the film progresses. In search of something new, we are gaslighted into believing the film is horror.

Pavan Kirpalani has done impressive work with Ragini MMS and Phobia. However, Gaslight cannot be added to his best library as it goes the Bhoot Police way. Sara Ali Khan, Chitrangda Singh, and Vikrant Massey survive the thriller but can't save themselves with their performances.