Dial 1975 Movie Review: “Dial 1975” tries to have its cake and eat it too as a political spy thriller drama about India’s Emergency. Starring Kay Kay Menon, Pravessh Rana, and Kirti Kulhari, this Hindi film is a race to claim India’s first wireless telephone and its secrets. But can such a compelling-sounding premise be undermined by a meandering script? Let’s find out. We’ll discuss the Dial 1975 plot, highlight the best and worst parts, and share our final thoughts in a full review.
Dial 1975 Rating and Movie Details
Baapofmovies.com Rating: 3.5/5
- Release Date: August 21, 2026
- Where to watch: Waves OTT
- Starring: Kay Kay Menon, Kirti Kulhari & Pravessh Rana
Plot: A Thrilling, but Disjointed Historical Drama
Set during India’s infamous Emergency, “Dial 1975” recounts the hunt for a government asset, a wireless phone capable of relaying information across the country. As the story unfolds, its focus turns to the hunt rather than the prize—with all the parties involved having their reasons to acquire it.
The hunt is multi-layered, and the number of potential claimants, as well as red herrings, adds up to a potentially interesting political mystery. There is an ex-soldier and mercenary turned villain; an escaped convict, who seems to want to do the right thing; plenty of government officials; a German scientist whose tapes have gone missing; and more. It all seems a bit much, though, and the various subplots fail to gel into a coherent whole.
Key Performances: Kay Kay Menon is a Stand-Out, Literally
Speaking of various subplots, the one that seems to have had the most impact on the film is the transformation of one of the leads from a sensitive but tormented soldier into a bloodthirsty mercenary. The transition is not seamless, but that’s partly due to Menon’s portrayal of the role. His raw, gritty, and energetic acting is the best part of Dial 1975, the part that made me want to see more.
Other actors, including Pravessh Rana and Kirti Kulhari, seem to be performing in two different takes of the same film—sometimes managing to pull my interest and sometimes veering off into blandness. And the lack of focus of the film as a whole, which I will get to shortly, might also be due to them being unable to match Mr. Menon’s intensity.
Emergency is a Plot Device, not a Central Part of the Story
I was also slightly disappointed by the apparent lack of focus of the film, which caused its wasted potential. There were a couple of neat tricks, as well as the inclusion of real-life elements of the Emergency. Most notably, the numbered hotel rooms in 1993 and 2002 are a reference to the infamous “1975” hotel-room-door incident. But they are mere detritus of the past, which the story only occasionally utilizes—the plot of the film, while set during the Emergency, is not really about it.
In fact, it is hard to say what Dial 1975 is about at all. There is some exploration of surveillance technologies and their impact on privacy, as well as some of the themes unique to the emergency—democracy, socialism, and fascism, perhaps—but those are only hints. The film’s true focus appears to be the race to acquire the first wireless phone—and that could have been an interesting exploration of human nature if it were not so preoccupied with its own disjointedness.
Also Read: Batwara 1947 Movie Review (2026): Sunny Deol Stands Tall in a Dated Partition Drama
Long, Meandering, but Ultimately Unfulfilling
The film’s sense of self-importance is evident as it attempts to be profound but ultimately fails to deliver. The long and drawn-out scenes of the confrontation in the hotel room, where everyone’s pointing a gun at everyone else’s head while discussing various inconsequential topics (Newton’s theories, crocodiles, lions, etc.), become tedious. In the context of the film, they are supposed to highlight the absurdity of the situation—of the emergency, of people’s obsession with status and power—but they accomplish the opposite.
They make the film feel self-indulgent, and I kept waiting for it to turn out to be a profound political drama. It did not, but some parts of it made me think that it could have been. Notably, the scenes of the phone’s voice describing its own capabilities and the ways in which they will be misused—by the government, by the military, by everyone with access to it—could have been a powerful exploration of technology’s impact on society, if not for the other parts of the film contradicting it.
Final Verdict
In summary, Dial 1975 is an uneven film that wastes its potential to be a great political drama about India’s Emergency. It presents the opportunity to see one of the most pivotal moments of modern history through the lens of the race for the first wireless phone – and then fails to deliver on its promise. The story is full of potential, getting bogged down by too many subplots, and ultimately becomes a meandering tale of betrayal and violence.
But it is not without its merits – the raw performance of Kay Kay Menon is genuinely engaging, and the hints at bigger themes keep resurfacing throughout the film. The long-awaited confrontation in the hotel room, in particular, is a let-down, one that makes Dial 1975 appear less as a thrilling political drama and more as a disappointment.
Overall, it is a mixed bag, but it might be worth watching Dial 1975 if you are a fan of political thrillers or Kay Kay Menon. If you are looking for a tightly woven historical drama, it is probably better to save your time and energy.
Watch Dial 1975 Trailer
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