Dial 100
Zee5
*ing: Manoj Bajpayee, Neena Gupta, Sakshi Tanwar
Rated: 5.5/10
From the Bandit Queen (1994) where he played dacoit Man Singh, Manoj Bajpayee has been wowing his viewers. With movies like Bhonsle, Special 26, Satya, Aligarh and Gangs of Wasseypur, to name a few. Bajpayee has set a benchmark for himself. Viewers now expect him to up his game every time that they see him on the 70 mm screen.
Directed by Rensil D’Silva and produced by Sony Pictures Films India, Dial 100, doesn’t disappoint. Despite the fact that there is very little action and most of the time Bajpayee spends his time inside an emergency control room, the film holds your attention from the word go. You know that the emergency call that he takes is not going to be a simple one and that there is a connection. Even before the film comes to its conclusion, the connection is out in the open. All that is left is to see how things end.
As Nikhil Sood, senior PI Mumbai Police, Bajpayee plays the role to a T. Of course, this is not the first time that the versatile actor played a cop. His previous movie, Silence... Can You Hear It, where he plays ACP Avinash Verma also won many hearts. This one is no different. In fact, he is the only driving force here even though it has the likes of Neena Gupta. Though she plays the role of a mother hell bent on revenge rather beautifully, it is Bajpayee who holds everything together.
As Sood, his understated role as a cop has been well-fleshed out and portrayed well. Though his anger and frustration are evident, the way he keeps a check on both is brilliant. His need to protect his family, at whatever cost and not play by the rules belies his statement that he is a good cop and never has never misused the system. Yet he endears himself with the audience since besides being a cop, he is a father first.
An interesting watch despite predictable drama that has plenty of gaps.