There’s something terribly wrong with the casting of ‘Gaslight’. Maybe, the film had the potential to emerge as a successful attempt in the genre of psychological thrillers, but the predictable writing somehow gave out the real killer merely a few minutes into the film. However, the jump scares manage to keep you on the edge of your seats setting the right tone for the visual tale director Pavan Kirpalani has envisioned.
‘Gaslight’ starts off with Meesha (Sara Ali Khan) visiting her estranged father after 15 long years only to find him missing. As the story unfolds, she discovers the secrets of his sudden disappearance at their palace. The writers could have definitely done a better job of adding some mystery to the plot and toning down the richness that just blows up in your face. Yes, we get it you’re rich, and you have a lot of servants in your palace!
It’s hilarious, how all the servants surprisingly vanish whenever Meesha is being chased by the ghost or whatever it appears to be! What’s the point of having an arsenal of attendants who just seem to be nowhere in time of desperate need?
Crippled by technicalities and logic, the film tries its best to please you with the jump scares and the murder mystery. The film puts up a facade of an artsy film forcefully trying to make you focus on the background setting just to make the characters look more royal. The director unnecessarily offers a brief montage of historic paintings, like Francisco Goya’s ‘Saturn Devouring His Son’ to John Henry Fuseli ‘The Nightmare’, attempting to give the film an intense, haunting theme, reflective of both insanity and fear.
The film rightfully lives up to its title, ‘Gaslight’ and puts up a masquerade of people’s dysfunctional lives and relationships with each other (or characters in this case). While Meesha tries to blame her stepmother Rukhmini for the sudden disappearance of her father, Rana (Akshay Oberoi) tries to playout the entire scenario for his own personal gains. While a lot appears to have conspired in this pretext, there’s too much of unnecessary drama you might have bargained for.
This film literally wasted two acting powerhouses, Vikrant Massey and Rahul Dev, who could have probably pulled off an impeccable feat provided they were cast alongside strong lead actors. Sara Ali Khan yet again appears to have crash landed in a genre that hardly brought out the best in her. Maybe, Gaslight was a good option for her to explore her craft and grow as an actor. She definitely has a long way to go!
In conclusion, the film appears tiresome if you manage to predict the plot and guess the mystery behind the disappearance of Meesha’s father. Although, the film turns out to be a good one-timer, provided this is the last option you are left with. Nevertheless, you can stick around for the throbbing jump scares.
Ratings: 2.5/5
‘Gaslight’ starts off with Meesha (Sara Ali Khan) visiting her estranged father after 15 long years only to find him missing. As the story unfolds, she discovers the secrets of his sudden disappearance at their palace. The writers could have definitely done a better job of adding some mystery to the plot and toning down the richness that just blows up in your face. Yes, we get it you’re rich, and you have a lot of servants in your palace!
It’s hilarious, how all the servants surprisingly vanish whenever Meesha is being chased by the ghost or whatever it appears to be! What’s the point of having an arsenal of attendants who just seem to be nowhere in time of desperate need?
Crippled by technicalities and logic, the film tries its best to please you with the jump scares and the murder mystery. The film puts up a facade of an artsy film forcefully trying to make you focus on the background setting just to make the characters look more royal. The director unnecessarily offers a brief montage of historic paintings, like Francisco Goya’s ‘Saturn Devouring His Son’ to John Henry Fuseli ‘The Nightmare’, attempting to give the film an intense, haunting theme, reflective of both insanity and fear.
The film rightfully lives up to its title, ‘Gaslight’ and puts up a masquerade of people’s dysfunctional lives and relationships with each other (or characters in this case). While Meesha tries to blame her stepmother Rukhmini for the sudden disappearance of her father, Rana (Akshay Oberoi) tries to playout the entire scenario for his own personal gains. While a lot appears to have conspired in this pretext, there’s too much of unnecessary drama you might have bargained for.
This film literally wasted two acting powerhouses, Vikrant Massey and Rahul Dev, who could have probably pulled off an impeccable feat provided they were cast alongside strong lead actors. Sara Ali Khan yet again appears to have crash landed in a genre that hardly brought out the best in her. Maybe, Gaslight was a good option for her to explore her craft and grow as an actor. She definitely has a long way to go!
In conclusion, the film appears tiresome if you manage to predict the plot and guess the mystery behind the disappearance of Meesha’s father. Although, the film turns out to be a good one-timer, provided this is the last option you are left with. Nevertheless, you can stick around for the throbbing jump scares.
Ratings: 2.5/5