Dial 100 review: This sinking ship is partly salvaged by Manoj Bajpayee, Neena Gupta’s performances

2.5/5

Story:

A wounded mother, whose son is no more, seeks redemption and forcefully involves a police officer and his family in the process.

Review:

Dial 100 begins with a self-explanatory scene introducing audiences to the work culture of the Police Control room that helps the people of Mumbai during emergencies. 

As a follow-up to the trailer (that has already revealed so much about the film), the audiences desperately wait for Seema Pallav’s (Neena Gupta) call to the Senior P.I. Nikhil Sood (Manoj Bajpayee). The suspense element with the intense background music makes the wait all the more intriguing. Meanwhile, the backdrop of the emergency control room is not very fancy but authentic and realistic. Moving ahead, a strange series of events unfold inside the control room.

However, the not-so-well written film begins to lose its plot soon. Though as an audience, one expects more from a film that stars actors like Manoj and Neena. 

Initially, Nikhil takes Seema’s call lightly because he has a more serious affair to take care of at home with the quarrels between his wife and an 18-year-old dear son. Given that the trailer didn’t leave much to the audience's imagination, you already know that a wounded mother is seeking revenge through the police officer’s son. 

Dial 100 further reminds us of Ajay Devgn’s 2015 film Drishyam, where we see a man doing unpredictable things to save his family, whether it's ideal or not. There are two dimensions to Manoj Bajpayee’s character in the movie - he’s a man who fears for the safety of his family and on the other end, he plays smart mind games to rescue them at any cost.

Neena Gupta excels in a serious and intense character, showcasing her versatility in portraying various roles and emotions on the screen. Towards the end, there are a few similarities with Manoj’s Srikant Tiwari act from The Family Man in an intense scene, where he calms down the criminal even when they possess arms. Sakshi Tanwar as Manoj’s wife doesn’t warrant your attention and is used more as a prop throughout the film. However, in an emotional scene in the climax, she proves to be a natural.

The film tries to caution viewers about the consequences of drug consumption among the youth besides throwing light on the corruption in the police department. The dark, unfulfilling tale spans across a night and the sun shines brightly in the end, but there’s not any ray of hope with the film. 

Verdict:

The Rensil D’Silva directorial is loosely written and is by no means a perfect thriller. However, Manoj and Neena’s performances make it watchable.