In Pavan Kirpalani’s film, “Gaslight,” the pace is agonizingly slow, the script merely average, and the performances forgettable, despite Vikrant Massey’s earnest effort. While visually striking, the thriller film falls short in other aspects.
Meesha returns to her family’s palace after years of estrangement, prompted by a letter from her father. However, upon her arrival, she discovers that her father is mysteriously missing. Her stepmother, Rukmini, claims he’s on a business trip, but Meesha remains skeptical. She suspects Rukmini is concealing the truth. Strange events at the Mayagarh palace lead Meesha to believe her father’s spirit haunts the place. Determined to uncover the truth behind her father’s disappearance, she enlists the help of Kapil, the right-hand man of the Raja.
Spoiler Alert
Mystery surrounds the disappearance of Ratan Singh Gaikwad. Meesha knows her father would never prioritize work over her, and his absence troubles her. She witnesses his silhouette in the palace, convinced he’s there. After a fall and injury, a thorough search of the palace yields no sign of Ratan. Nonetheless, Meesha continues to sense his presence, even hearing him play the piano, as he did on her childhood birthdays. Her pursuit of his presence leads her to a theater room, where she encounters a mysterious, gloved hand.
Despite disbelief from those around her, Meesha is resolute that something has happened to her father. Her doubts intensify when a gypsy woman at a temple claims her father’s spirit is trying to communicate with her. Meesha believes her father’s soul is reaching out to her, warning her to leave the palace. Strangely, she receives a call from her father the next day, but she remains skeptical of the caller’s identity. Meesha, who has only seen her father’s silhouette, is shocked one night to discover his lifeless body in a car. Frantically attempting to rescue him, she calls for help, but when others arrive, the car is empty. Meesha realizes someone is attempting to portray her as mentally unstable and suspects Rukmini. She believes Rukmini has a partner in this elaborate scheme.
With Kapil’s assistance, Meesha uncovers Rukmini’s connection to police officer SP Ashok, whom she suspects of being involved. She also harbors suspicions about her distant cousin, Rana, who appears to have a secret with Rukmini. Rana’s interest in Ratan’s property raises questions about his involvement. Following Rana to a party, Meesha and Kapil discover that Rana and Ratan had a business deal to convert the palace into a boutique hotel. Rana’s financial troubles stemmed from the failure of this plan. Meesha learns that Rana had no motive to kill Ratan because he needed Ratan’s support for his business.
Additionally, Meesha discovers that Rukmini is pregnant, and the child is not Ratan’s, suggesting a possible motive for her desire to eliminate Ratan, as he would not tolerate such betrayal. Confronting Rukmini about the baby, Meesha is met with Rukmini’s departure, leaving her with more questions. Meesha releases her father’s loyal dog, Commander, to search the palace, which leads to the discovery of Ratan Singh Gaikwad’s body concealed in the wharf. It confirms her suspicions that her father was murdered, and the body hidden in his own home.
The mystery deepens as Meesha investigates who killed her father and why. She is subsequently kidnapped. When she regains consciousness, she finds herself in a car with Padam’s corpse. To her surprise, Kapil, Rukmini’s collaborator, reveals himself as her captor. He submerges the car, assuming Meesha cannot escape and survive underwater. However, upon discovering that Meesha’s body is missing, Kapil is untroubled. The series of murders leaves Rukmini distraught, realizing that to hide one secret, she has resorted to killing those around her. As Kapil informs her that Meesha’s body wasn’t found, she panics, sensing something amiss.
Suddenly, the palace loses power, and Dr. Shekhawat, the family physician, arrives, claiming that Meesha had committed suicide a week earlier. Rukmini is baffled, as she was convinced she had been interacting with Meesha. The woman pretending to be Meesha reveals herself as Fatima and confirms Meesha’s suicide. Fatima had a longstanding debt of gratitude to Ratan Singh for his kindness during her childhood, and when she encountered Meesha at the mental health facility where she worked, she felt compelled to care for her. Meesha suffered from severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts. After Meesha forgave her father and planned to meet him, he suddenly stopped answering her calls. Feeling betrayed, she believed her father no longer loved her and took her own life. Fatima then orchestrated a plan with Dr. Shekhawat to uncover the truth about Ratan Singh’s disappearance. With Rukmini never having seen Meesha, it was relatively easy for Fatima to assume her identity. After being submerged in the car, Fatima managed to escape and survive. Rukmini believed her actions had forced Meesha to commit suicide. With Kapil’s return to the palace, he overheard the conversation and attacked Dr. Shekhawat, leaving him unconscious. Rukmini shot Kapil when he attempted to kill Fatima. Kapil and Rukmini had conspired to prove Meesha mentally unstable, aiming to inherit Ratan’s wealth. However, their plans unraveled when Meesha discovered her father’s body. Their last resort was to murder her. Kapil, driven by a desire for wealth and madness, had been an accomplice to the murders, but he met an unexpected end. In the ensuing struggle, he accidentally killed Rukmini.
Fatima managed to evade Kapil and used Ratan Singh’s cufflink to block the rifle barrel Kapil aimed at her, leading to his demise. Following the incident, Fatima reflected on the numerous deaths that had occurred due to her involvement. Nonetheless, she found solace in the fact that justice had been served. The wealth that might have fallen into the hands of greedy individuals is now being utilized to educate numerous students. “Gaslight” concludes with Fatima paying tribute to Meesha and Ratan Singh, remaining an integral part of the Meesha Foundation. The children sponsored by the foundation now find a permanent home in the once-occupied palace.
About the Author
