 "Netflix ‘Inspector Zende’ Movie Review: Manoj Bajpayee shines in the role of real-life Inspector Madhukar Zende")
Director: Chinmay Mandlekar
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Jim Sarbh, Sachin Khedekar, Girija Oak, Bhalchandra Kadam
“You will be famous because of me”, says Carl Bhojraj (Jim Sarbh) to Inspector Madhukar Zende (Manoj Bajpayee). And he did become famous after catching the ‘bikini killer’. The movie is loosely based on Inspector Zende’s assignment of catching Charles Sobhraj , the ruthless criminal who had a style of his own. Set against the gritty backdrop of the 1970s and ’80s, the film dramatises Zende’s relentless chase of Carl Bhojraj (a fictionalised version of Sobhraj).
The movie begins with Carl Bhojraj (Jim Sarbh) running away from Tihar jail, Delhi by adding sleeping pills in the kheer that was given to the police on his birthday. Fifteen-years back, Zende was the man who once caught Carl Bhojraj . There was news that Sobhraj ran away to Mumbai from Delhi. From Mumbai Sobhraj escaped to Goa. He had plans for leaving for America along with two others. The Mumbai police didn’t want to give up on their credit of catching him. So, Zende’s boss, played by Sachin Khedekar, hands over the case to him to find Sobhraj. It was Zende alone who was aware of Sobhraj’s patterns, characteristics and moves.
Inspector Zende is no doubt an epic cat and mouse chase and you will love to see the simplicity of not only Manoj Bajpayee who plays the lead role, but all the other characters and all the inspectors in his team played by Bhalchandra Kadam and others. Loosely inspired by a true story, Netflix ’s upcoming film Inspector Zende brings to life the unbelievable pursuit of an everyday cop who became a legend by tracking down the elusive “Swimsuit Killer,” Carl Bhojraj — not once, but twice.
This film will truly make you laugh till your tummy hurts. Netflix’s Inspector Zende also showed the powerplay in the police force and how police officials from Delhi want to get all the credit, when in Mumbai the police force is counting every penny and struggling to get funds to survive in Goa for a few days.
It’s indeed a quirky comedy and a great weekend watch and the best thing is the script is sharp and the performances are brilliant. And as for Manoj Bajpayee, he truly knows his craft. And there are a lot of similarities of his character here with Srikant Tiwari from The Family Man. The humour-infused biopic is the highlight of the film.
Not that the film doesn’t have flaws, some of the scenes are a little forced like Zende’s (Manoj Bajpayee) wife making puran poli and landing up in the police station. And the performance of Jim Sarbh as Sobhraj was lousy. In fact, Siddhant Gupta did a brilliant job as serial killer Charles Sobhraj in the Netflix thriller series Black Warrant. Everything said and done, the film is immensely superior to the other releases of this week and as usual Manoj Bajpayee is absolutely phenomenal. It’s a sharp criminal folklore that you shouldn’t miss. I assure watching this film is going to be damn good fun!
Rating: 3 and half out of 5
WATCH the trailer of Netflix’s ‘Inspector Zende’ here:
Lachmi Deb Roy is the Entertainment Editor of Firstpost, Network18. She reviews films and series with a gender lens. She is a 'Rotten Tomatoes' certified critic. Her interviews are called 'Not Just Bollywood' because she takes a huge interest in world cinema. She has been the winner of the prestigious Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity for two consecutive years, 2020 and 2021. OTT over theatrical releases is her preference unless and until it's a King Khan film. She takes interest in fashion, food and art reviews too.