'Gaslight' director Pawan Kripalani on working with Saif Ali Khan and Sara

Gaslight director Pawan Kripalani whose film features Sara Ali Khan as the protagonist along with Vikrant Massey Chitrangda Singh and others spoke to middaycom about his cast his love for the mystery genre working with Sara and her dad Saif Ali Khan and much moreSpeaking about how he came up with the title Gaslight the director recalls Its a word that has become a part of everyones lingo gaslighting is part of our life and we have just come to understand it That intrigued me we do it to others consciously and unconsciously In 1940 there was a play called Gaslight that coined the term and there was a movie made that won the Oscars This movie has nothing to do with that but the word originated from there and I saw that movies its extremely entertaining Gaslighting has been there for a while and its the perfect time to explore it at the time when conversations about mental health are taking place He explains that gaslighting is the core theme of the movieWhile Sara has been seen in glamorous and fun roles in the past this film has her wheelchair bound with mystery shrouding her character Speaking about what convinced him that she would fit the bill he says I wanted to cast someone against their grain against what they were expected to be Sara was the perfect choice because I loved her in Kedarnath and I saw this strong instinct intuition and intelligence in her Sara was apt because its a role that she had never explored before in her filmography It was an exciting challenge for me it added a layer to the movie because the audience would be surprised if we managed to pull it off and it also worked for the narrativeShedding light on how Vikrant and Chitrangda came on board Pawan says I didnt want to cast the obvious choices for the step mothers role which is a layered complicated character It required someone who has beauty acting chops and a strong dramatic depth in them as well With Vikrant one would expect him to be the boy next door the sweet lover boy theres something very likable about him Both fit in perfectly He adds that he managed to wrap up the film in 35 days with proper planning and his actors prepping well in advanceThough the setting of the film is different the mystery element remains common to his previous films like Phobia Darrthe Mall Bhoot Police and others I enjoy spooky investigative suspense building narratives and like watching as a fan too so that flows into my work as wellHaving worked with Saras father and actor Saif Ali Khan in Bhoot Police Pawan says though both have a fun side they are serious when it comes to work They are hardworking though both have an absurd sense of humour They take their work seriously and Sara is as much as a stickler for getting things done she pushed the crew to get the best out of her the same applies to SaifThe film releases on DisneyHotstar on March 31 2023Also ReadJr NTR Kriti Sanon collaborate for a project watch