Dial 100 review: Action-packed thriller with solid performances

Rating: 3.5/5

ZEE5 original film ‘Dial 100’ is a thriller drama that revolves around man’s helplessness as he forgoes his duty as a police officer to save his family from the grasp of another unfortunate victim as karma arrives in a full circle.

Story

Written and directed by Rensil D’Silva, Dial 100 opens up with Senior Inspector Nikhil Sood (Manoj Bajpayee), head of the Mumbai Police emergency control room, who receives a mysterious call from a woman leaving warning of committing a crime.

Sood soon comes to know the unseen caller as Seema Pallav (Neena Gupta), the devastated mother of a long-dead victim who is out for blood.

Amidst it all, his wife Prerna (Sakshi Tanwar) becomes the scapegoat to lure their son Dhruv (Svar Kamble) to do Seema’s bidding.

Everything is connected to a one-year-old case that claimed a life. Time is running low, and Sood has to find a way to save his family.

Can he reach his family on time, or will karma play its game and make him the unfortunate victim?

Performances

The focus of the movie is mainly on Manoj Bajpayee and Neena Gupta as the police officer and the distressed crime-inclined mother.

Both of them, as usual to their style, do justice to the movie and its narrative. Bajpayee plays a commendable role as the cop, a role he is much accustomed to and uplifts the overall film.

Gupta’s role has its intensity, and she manages to uphold it to a great extent. Her body language and actions encompassed both the role of a helpless mother and a mother out for vengeance.

Sakshi Tanwar and Svar Kamble, as the mother and son duo, play their roles perfectly – both supporting the narrative and offering it the due credibility.

Nandu Madhav, as Seema’s husband, only a small segment to shine, but served his shot right.

Positives

The best thing about the movie is its compact, no-nonsense plot that follows the narrative to the tee. It is quick-paced, making the 104 minutes film barely feel like it.

The dialogue by Niranjan Iyengar keeps the movie at par with its thrill, while Anuj Rakesh Dhawan’sDhawan’s camerawork and Raju Singh’s score holds the audience in their seats.

Editing by Asif Ali Shaikh prevents the film from becoming monotonous owing to its steady storyline. The direction and the overall framework of the movie are on-point that saved the film in multiple ways.

The setting of the on-screen narrative from the rainy night to police control-room setup provides the deary atmosphere, while also showcasing the monotonous life of the people stunned by the action.

Adding to that, the commendable delivery by the centre cast seals the deal for the movie. Even though the film starteswith only Seema’s voice, it holds intrigue that pulls the initial section of the movie.

The title of the movie ‘Dial 100’ is well thought-out as it turns into a paradox towards the end. The few minutes that serve as the closure to the thriller are probably the best section of it all.

Negatives

The film, while having a great cast, comes with its own negative aspects.

The storyline is a little too compact, leaving little to nothing in terms of suspense. The thrill only lasts barely half the movie. As soon as Neena’s identity is revealed, the back story comes pouring out, and the film follows its understandable curve.

After the initial portion, there is no unravelling to be made – only a lot of waiting for the known action to take place, with the exception of the few minutes in the end.

It’s definitely not a heart-thumping, on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of thriller. If not for the acting, it doesn’t have much to offer after the first part of the storyline and feels short.

Worth It?

It is worth exploring the movie to see Gupta in an intense role and Bajpayee serving another amazing acting sequence. The fast-paced sequence gets over in no time, offering a good watch while it lasts.


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