Sometimes it is the simple films that can surprise you. What makes a film engaging? Some experts say it is the six elements - Script, Character, Acting, Timing, Sound and Visuals. But what really tilts the scale is the simple art of story-telling - the metaphor, the sub-text and all the little nuances that come into play.
Time to dump that remote folks. Pass_Me_The_Remote reviews Writer/Director #RensilD'silva's #Dial100 that has just premiered on #ZEE5. Here is a It-all-happened-one-night mystery thriller that starts off just alright with the romance of a monsoon night in Mumbai. Senior PI Nikhil Sood (#ManojBajpayee) receives a call from a mysterious woman, who is obviously in distress. Sood puts forth his best professional demeanour but things quickly take a turn where his personal life and professional life overlap in a drama that touches upon drugs and personal loss, revenge and retribution and the clash of the haves versus the have-nots. The taut thriller gets through on the back of its dependable lead actor and the screenplay keeps you engaged but only upto a certain point. What lets it down is the sheer predictability of the screenplay and the entire execution collapses in a heap before you can say D!
#ManojBajpayee is an actor on a new high. On the back of tremendous success of #TheFamilyMan, he essays yet another character as a cop who is an unlikely ace at work but troubled in his personal life. His son has a troubled history and his wife Prerna (#SakshiTanwar) is very concerned. #NeenaGupta is cast in the role of an unusual antagonist but the dialogues and the screenplay do not do justice to building up her character. I think the biggest miss of the film is the opportunity to build this character with enough nuances and make it engaging.
#Dial100 belongs to Bajpayee. Ninety percent of the time, he is ensconced inside the police call center but he packs a punch with some superb facial expressions, deliberate pauses and overall anguish in his body language. There is one scene where he is talking to his neighbour who has just discovered that the pet dog is injured and Bajpayee’s facial muscles visibly twitch as he responds with tension in his voice. The manner in which he metamorphs from a regular police officer joking about how managing suicide calls is easier than attending to calls relating to loss of a pet dog or cat to a troubled father who goes all out to save his family is amazing.
#Dial100 ticks all the boxes in the beginning. The lighting, cinematography and even the police control room look suitably grey and mysterious just perfect for the thriller. #NiranjanIyengar’s dialogues also seem pitch perfect. 40 minutes into the film, you are able to predict not just the villain but also what's going to unfold. And this is where the screenplay as well the dialogues fall flat. I think that climax scene with two of the leads waving pistols in the air could have had sharper dialogues and tighter action. For now, lets just say #ManojBajpayee is a treat to watch!
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