JOIN US'Dial 100' preview: Will the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer live up to expectations?
Actor Manoj Bajpayee's latest film Dial 100 is set to release on Zee5 on Friday (August 6) much to the delight of his die-hard fans. The thriller has created a decent amount of buzz among movie buffs with its intriguing trailer. So, does the film have enough in it to make an impact? Here's our SWOT analysis.
Strength: Impressive cast
Bajpayee, a National Award winner, has proved on several occasions that he is an artist par excellence. His work in films such as Gangs of Wasseypur, Aligarh, Bhonsle and Silence bears testimony to his ability to do justice to complex characters. Dial 100 features a layered narrative, which indicates that he is the right choice for the part. The Satya actor will be seen alongside Neena Gupta and Sakshi Tanwar, who are established performers in their own right. Gupta has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in her second innings with her work in the series Panchayat and the film Badhaai Ho. Tanwar, on the other hand, garnered attention with her performance in the 2016 blockbuster Dangal.
Weakness: Not a 'starry' affair
Contrary to perception, star power plays a big role in determining a film's fate on OTT. Radhe emerged as a 'digital blockbuster' despite mixed reviews mainly because of Salman Khan's popularity On the other hand, Sharib Hashmi's Darbaan initially found relatively less patronage despite rave reviews. Bajpayee is considered to be more of a performer than a box office draw, which may affect Dial 100's prospects.
Opportunity: Family Man to the rescue?
Bajpayee has emerged as an OTT superstar because of the phenomenal response to his web series The Family Man. The second season of the biggie, in particular, emerged as a pan-India phenomenon as it dealt with the Srilankan Tamil issue. This might nullify the above-mentioned 'weakness' provided word-of-mouth is positive.
Threat: Competition from Navarasa
The language barrier has become a thing of the past due to the OTT revolution as most content comes with subtitles. This essentially means that Dial 100 will face competition from the Tamil anthology Navarasa, which features the likes of Suriya and Siddharth in the lead.