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'Dial 100' movie review: Manoj Bajpayee tries to salvage underwhelming thriller

'Dial 100' does not reach its potential due to the middling writing
Last Updated 06 August 2021, 06:38 IST

Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Neena Gupta and Sakshi Tanwar

Director: Rensil D'Silva

Rating: 2/5

Platform: Zee5

Director Rensil D'Silva's latest outing Dial 100 is a half-baked film that barely registers despite its promising premise. It revolves around the life of a police officer, played by Manoj Bajpayee, who receives a distress call from an apparent stranger on a rainy night. As the plot thickens, one comes to know more about the caller's real identity and her uncomfortable equation with the protagonist.

Shoddy execution

The basic plot has pretty much everything--right from twists to an eerie setting-- that one would expect from a thriller but the problem is that nothing really works as the execution is all over the place.

Family Man hangover

The opening portions of the film, which should have introduced the viewer to the world of Dial 100, fall flat as they have a distinct The Family Man hangover. Just like Srikant Tiwari, Nikhil Sood is a person from a middle-class background who attempts to strike a balance between his job and his disturbed family life. While the deja vu isn't a cardinal sin, it makes it hard for the viewers to really invest in the reel action.

Missed opportunity

The impact is further diluted by the fact that the mother sentiment, which forms the backbone of the film, fails to strike a chord. The fault again is in the writing as Neena Gupta and Sakshi Tanwar, who play mothers stuck in completely different situations, are burdened with characters that end up being mere caricatures.

Lame twists

The recently-released Tamil movie Thittam Irandu illustrates that a thriller can leave an impact despite glaring flaws provided the climax is up to the mark. The Aishwarya Rajesh-starrer lagged in the first half but covered lost ground towards the end as the climax was totally unexpected. This, sadly, does not happen in Dial 100 as the so-called twist is quite obvious in the first half itself. The climax is equally disappointing as the emotional sequences feel staged and lack any semblance of organic intensity.

Bajpayee tries to save the day

The recent Akshaye Khanna-starrer Temple Attack served as a harsh reminder of the fact that even talented actors may not reach their potential if they do not get a good script to sink their teeth into. Bajpayee, sadly, finds himself in a similar situation in Dial 100. While he manages to bring out the vulnerability of his character, one gets the feeling that the impact could have been a lot stronger. Gupta and Tanwar deserved better.

Technical aspects

The film does not really have much scope for music and the makers have wisely refrained from adding unnecessary songs to the narrative. The background score is as generic as can be. The editing is lacklustre as several portions, especially in the first half drag. The other technical aspects are decent.

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(Published 06 August 2021, 05:45 IST)

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