By: Sanvi Grover, Media Student, School of Social Sciences, CHRIST University Delhi NCR
Netflix’s latest Hindi original, Inspector Zende, arrives with the swagger of a retro crime caper and the gravitas of true history. Directed by Chinmay Mandlekar in his debut, the film dramatizes one of India’s most fascinating cat-and-mouse tales — Inspector Madhukar Zende’s relentless pursuit of the elusive serial conman and killer Charles Sobhraj, here fictionalized as the slick “Carl Bhojraj.”
The Premise
Set against the neon-tinged backdrop of the 1980s, the film follows Inspector Zende (Manoj Bajpayee) as he tracks Bhojraj (Jim Sarbh), a criminal who treats charm as currency and escape as sport. What might have been another grim procedural instead unfolds as a playful yet taut chase — equal parts thriller, satire, and tribute to old-school police heroics.
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Performance Powerhouse
Manoj Bajpayee proves once again why he is Bollywood’s most reliable chameleon. As Zende, he doesn’t rely on larger-than-life bravado. Instead, he leans into restraint — a calm, earthy presence that grounds the narrative, his eyes carrying the weight of a man too stubborn to let truth slip away.
Jim Sarbh, meanwhile, revels in flamboyance. His Carl Bhojraj is equal parts velvet and venom — a man whose French-accented English and disarming charisma blur the line between seducer and sociopath. Watching Bajpayee’s steady patience spar with Sarbh’s unpredictable theatrics is the film’s greatest joy — two actors fencing not with swords but with personality.
Direction & Tone
Mandlekar resists the temptation to turn Zende into a myth. Instead, he crafts a dramedy-thriller hybrid, letting humor puncture the heaviness of crime. The script occasionally flirts with excess — a quip here, a wink there — but that tonal lightness is also its strength. In a genre overcrowded with grim, gritty cop dramas, Inspector Zende dares to be breezy without losing its bite.
Craft & Style
The cinematography embraces the retro aesthetic — bold colors, smoky bars, rotary phones, and sly nods to Bollywood’s own 80s swagger. The background score pulses with vintage beats, layering suspense with cheeky playfulness. At times, the film feels like it’s winking at the audience, inviting us to enjoy the absurdity of truth stranger than fiction.
Weak Spots
Not all jokes land, and the narrative occasionally coasts on charisma rather than craft. Some supporting characters feel undercooked, existing more as punchlines than people. And purists may argue that the lighthearted tone undercuts the gravity of Sobhraj’s real crimes.
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The Verdict
Inspector Zende is not a courtroom drama, nor a chilling psychological study. It’s a stylish tribute to a forgotten cop whose quiet doggedness outwitted one of the world’s most notorious criminals. More importantly, it’s a reminder that Indian cinema can reimagine true crime with flair rather than formula.
Manoj Bajpayee’s understated brilliance and Jim Sarbh’s delicious flamboyance elevate the film into something more than just a dramatized Wikipedia entry. It’s a watch worth your weekend — breezy, sharp, and unapologetically entertaining.