Gaslight is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language mystery-thriller film, directed by Pavan Kirpalani and produced by Ramesh Taurani and Akshai Puri.
Her father, Ratan Singh Gaikwad, had written a letter to her requesting her to come back home, the place where everybody is eagerly waiting for her arrival.
It is implied that Meesha has stayed away from the home of her childhood for years, which is why a lot of it seems strange and familiar at the same time.
Meesha is hoping to get to meet her new family, including her stepmother and possibly a new staff at the palace to take care of her needs.
As she reaches the palace, she is welcomed by her stepmother Rukmani and the other staff members, who are happy to see Meesha coming back to her roots.
She feels a presence always around her, and she is keen to know why her father was not here to welcome her when he was the one who wrote this heartfelt letter for her to come back.
She also witnesses the piano keys playing the notes on their own and she feels a hand forcefully holding her wrist.
Meesha starts hanging out with Kapil, the estate manager, to understand the new dynamics she is noticing brewing between Rukmani and the acquaintances of the family.
Meesha and Kapil have their eyes on Rana and Ashok and wonder who Rukmani might be having an affair with, which will lead them to the bigger question: where is her father?
At a party, Kapil and Meesha come across a conversation between Rukmani and Rana where she is offering him money to keep his mouth shut.
Their house help is finally able to locate the body of her father, who was tied down by a heavy stone below the water.
Meesha’s worst fears come true as she sees her father’s rotten, floating body.
Meesha cannot believe her beloved father had been dead for quite some time before she arrived at the palace, and she knows for sure Rukmani is somehow involved in this.
Meesha’s father had a charity NGO run in his daughter’s name that sheltered many kids over the years, and Kapil had been one of them.
Meesha ended up killing herself because of her father’s constant unavailability as a parent and the fact she thought she would always remain lonely.
Fatima only wanted to help Meesha and assist her in coming to terms with the fact that her father might not be perfect, but he deserved to be heard.
She had no intention of killing the girl, but the fact that Kapil kept pushing her to the brim made her lose her mind.
Fatima wonders about the point of this visit because it opened Pandora’s box, which led to not just messy family dealings but also violent deaths.
Kapil, though had no regrets for his actions, wanted to get hold of everything that Ratan Gaikwad owned just because the man had insulted his heritage.
The principal photography commenced in February 2022 in Ranjit Vilas Palace, Wankaner[5] and completed in just 36 days.
Bollywood Hungama rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars by calling its narration slow and clitched but appreciated the cast's performance and the unpredictable climax.
[9] The Hindu critiqued it negatively as "A murder mystery that invests more in mood than matter, Gaslight sparks interest with its setting and sharp twists but eventually turns out to be a rather insipid whodunit.