Gaslight Review: Gaslight has enough chills and thrills, until it all gets predictable

Review: We don’t know much about Meesha’s past except for the accident she survived and that her mother committed suicide. “How come she has no digital footprint”, wonders her stepmom (Chitrangada Singh). As Meesha starts experiencing paranormal activities in the palace, she fears her father has been killed. What lies beneath this royal mystery and can Meesha uncover it?

Pavan Kirpalani’s mystery-thriller draws you into its world using eerie silence and interesting jump scares. The sound in particular deserves an applause as footsteps on a wooden floor, fireplace, creaking doors, books shutting, pages fluttering set a nervous mood perfectly. Dimly lit old palace and it’s empty rooms speak a language of their own. Atmospheric and gloomy, the setting is perfect and unlike most Indian thrillers fear is not chaotic but quiet.

Haunted palaces, lonely girl, notorious family members and buried truth… Gaslight has all the ingredients that could make for an engaging thriller and it works to a certain extent. It’s the climax that acts as a downer and does a bit of disservice to the plot. It gaslights you into believing that things can’t be as convenient as they seem. The unravelling of mystery and joining the dots bit undoes an otherwise gripping build-up. The story lacks conflict and reasoning after a point. It loses steam and gets way too predictable after a point.

Sara Ali khan who is excessively upbeat takes her pitch down a bit and that helps. Vikrant Massey’s character feels rushed and stereotypical. He deserved better writing. Chitrangda (who resembles Katrina Kaif here) does her job well. Rahul Dev and Akshay Oberoi are noticeable in their brief but significant parts.

Despite the odds, Gaslight has enough chills and thrills. If you like the genre, you won’t mind giving this a shot.