Story
Dial
100
unfolds
on
a
rainy
night
with
police
officer
Nikhil
Sood
(Manoj
Bajpayee)
beginning
his
shift
in
the
Mumbai
Police
Emergency
Call
Centre
just
like
any
other
day.
Eventually,
we
learn
that
his
personal
life
is
in
turmoil
owing
to
his
wife's
strained
relationship
with
their
teenage
son
Atharva.
While
juggling
between
his
wife's
constant
phone
calls
and
'chai-vada
pav'
sessions
with
his
teammates,
Nikhil
ends
up
taking
a
distress
call
from
a
hysterical
woman
who
wants
to
end
her
life
owing
to
a
personal
tragedy.
When
the
mysterious
caller
gets
a
bit
too
personal,
Nikhil
realises
that
he
has
to
race
against
time
to
make
sure
that
the
world
doesn't
get
to
know
about
a
dark
secret
that
might
endanger
the
lives
of
his
loved
ones.
Direction
When
it
comes
to
making
a
film
which
revolves
around
a
night,
the
writing
has
to
be
razor
sharp
to
keep
the
audience
glued
to
the
screen.
Unfortunately,
Manoj
Bajpayee-starrer
Dial
100
begins
with
a
whimper.
For
a
major
part
in
the
first
15-20
minutes
of
the
film,
director
Rensil
D'Silva
relies
heavily
on
the
audio
rather
than
the
visuals.
Further,
the
boring
dialogues
coupled
with
the
slow-paced
narrative
add
more
to
your
disappointment.
Few
minutes
more
into
the
film
and
you
can
smell
the
big
reveal
from
a
distance.
Once
D'Silva
lays
down
his
cards,
there's
barely
any
confusion
around
how
this
'call'
would
end!
Minus
any
thrills
and
logic
gone
for
a
toss,
your
conversation
with
Dial
100
is
barely
without
hiccups.
It's
a
pity
that
the
filmmaker
barely
manages
to
utilise
seasoned
talents
like
Manoj
Bajpayee
and
Neena
Gupta
in
this
crime
thriller.
Performances
Manoj
Bajpayee
as
the
middle-class
guy
who
has
failed
both
as
a
husband
and
a
father,
adds
gravitas
to
his
role
with
his
sincerity
even
when
the
writing
doesn't
do
justice
to
his
acting
prowess.
Neena
Gupta
gives
you
the
creeps
in
the
beginning
as
the
unpredictable
Seema
Pallav.
But
alas,
that
fun
doesn't
last
for
long.
Once
her
character's
motive
is
revealed,
it's
all
things
poker-faced
and
mechanical;
blame
it
on
the
lazy
writing.
Sakshi
Tanwar
shines
in
the
scene
in
which
her
character
breaks
down
post
a
tragic
incident.
The
rest
of
cast
are
good
in
their
respective
parts.
Technical
Aspects
Anuj
Rakesh
Dhawan's
camera
work
is
decent.
A
little
experimentation
from
his
side
would
have
added
some
depth
to
the
weak
story-telling.
Editor
Asif
Ali
Shaikh
keeps
the
film
short
with
a
runtime
that's
barely
two
hours.
Music
Thankfully,
the
makers
have
avoided
the
temptation
of
inserting
any
songs
in
this
crime
thriller.
Resul
Pookutty
has
nothing
out
of
the
box
to
offer
in
the
background
score
department.
Verdict
Despite
having
a
bunch
of
talents,
director
Rensil
D'Silva
serves
you
revenge
gone
stale.
For
all
those
looking
for
engaging
narrative
and
interesting
twists
in
this
film,
dial
D
for
disappointment!