Dead Comedy and Humour Spoil Charles Sobhraj’s Thrilling Capture

RATING – ⭐ ⭐ 2/5*

Inspector Zende Review movie Talkies:

Inspector Zende kicks off on a light and humorous note, with the narration and dialogues giving an idea of a quirky, almost crazy style of writing. The narrator even says, “This film is based on a true Story which looks fictional,” and you instantly get a sense that some funny things are about to happen. Even the names are changed—Charles Sobhraj is called Carl Bhojraj. Quirky lines like “America ka rasta Panvel se hoke jaata hai” set you up for a fun ride, promising a comedy-thriller with tongue-in-cheek humour. But sadly, the film rarely lives up to this promise. Most of the jokes fall flat, and the humour feels dead. The major parts—like chase sequences, police planning, investigation scenes, and even the climactic capture—are staged in a parodic manner, stripping away the essence of a proper thriller.

Inspector Zende Story:

The Story follows Inspector Zende (Manoj Bajpayee), an honest and sharp police officer, who first manages to catch the infamous “swim suit killer,” Carl Bhojraj. But Carl is far too clever to stay behind bars. He escapes and continues committing crimes. Fifteen years later, Zende is called back onto the case by his superiors, mainly because he has done it once before. This time, though, the job is much harder. Carl has grown smarter and slipperier, making his capture nearly impossible. The cat-and-mouse game intensifies as Zende comes close to catching him a few times but misses by inches. Carl then plans to escape India altogether—flying to America, beyond the reach of Mumbai Police. His route takes him through Panvel and Goa, where Zende and his loyal team lay out a final plan to corner him. The question is: will Zende succeed?

The film runs a little over two hours and tries to pack in plenty of twists. On paper, the twists work, since the film is set in the 1980s. But when viewed in 2025, these tropes feel stale, outdated, and predictable. Yes, logically they fit the period setting, but cinematically, they fail to engage today’s audience. The humour, which should have been the highlight, is lifeless. Instead of supporting the narrative, it makes the film boring, silly, and sometimes even childish. You expect a Netflix release to deliver something sharp, intense, or at least in the space of dark comedy. Instead, this one feels shallow, silly, and often unrealistic—so much so that you lose interest in almost every phase.

Inspector Zende Cast:

Manoj Bajpayee plays Inspector Madhukar Bapurao Zende with sincerity and brings a sense of dignity to the role. The film tries to glorify Zende’s achievements, but Bajpayee as a performer feels underutilized. His caliber is way beyond what this film offers him, and it’s a pity to see him tied down by weak writing. His script sense needs to be questioned now. On the other hand, Jim Sarbh is the real show-stealer. His effortless English accent, calm menace, and natural screen presence make him the strongest performer in the cast.

The film is produced by Om Raut and directed by Chinmay Mandlekar, a well-known Marathi actor. Naturally, you see a bouquet of Marathi actors sprinkled across the film, often popping up in cameos, including in a couple of song sequences. Among them, Girija Oak delivers a natural performance, while Sachin Khedekar is reliable as always. Bhalchandra Kadam, Harish Dudhade, Bharat Savle, Nitin Bhajan, and Onkar Raut do their bit, though most of the supporting cast barely registers.

Inspector Zende movie Review:

Technically, Inspector Zende offers little to admire. The cinematography is strictly average, and the editing feels choppy and below par. A handful of dialogues land well with sharp humour, but most are flat. The background score is a major letdown—it could have lifted the chase sequences but instead adds nothing. Chinmay Mandlekar, known for his strong work in Marathi theatre, disappoints in his directorial debut on the big screen. His vision to retell Charles Sobhraj’s Story doesn’t fit well with the tone he chose. Combined with faltering screenplay and weak direction, the film never finds its ground. In the end, Inspector Zende starts with a promising idea but crashes quickly. Once it begins to slip, it only keeps falling, never looking up again. What could have been an intense and gripping thriller ends up as a confused mix of parody and flat humour. The film might attract initial curiosity, but it fails to sustain interest and leaves you with little more than frustration.

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