Inspector Zende 2025
by
Chinmay Mandlekar
I clicked on the film only because I could not move past Manoj Bajpayee's image on the thumbnail. Five minutes into the film I became aware that it was centered around Charles Sobhraj's capture in 1986. Jim Sarbh had made his entry by then. I was already hooked by the cast and the promised potential of the material at hand.
Manoj plays the eponymous role in this quirky crime thriller. In Zende is a legendary cop who had nabbed Charles twice- in 1971 and then in 1986. His chemistry with his onscreen wife Girija Oak who he refers as his commissioner is quite endearing. With the DGP played by Sachin Khedekar too, the duo enjoys a non-serious relationship. Zende is shown as a focussed but light-hearted character, who wants to enjoy his daily laughs and chai. Jim Sarbh is in business-like mode. That makes the contrast more glaring. It is almost as if the DGP, Zende and other cops are having a laugh on behalf of Dilliwalah and Goanese cops. A hotshot cop, probably a pun on Amod Kanth, comes to Goa and fails to nab Sobhraj. There is a strong element of pun in the narrative. Mumbai Police is showing its middle finger to Delhi and Goa, and why the hell not?
I was surprised to later find that Chinmay Mandlekar has written and directed this film. This is his first directorial credit. One has seen Charles aur Main, Black Warrant and The Serpent and knows a tad too much about Charles Sobhraj. But this take, hailing the man who caught the bikini-killer twice, is quite refreshing. Manoj and Jim make the film a success, although I admit the comic undertone might not be everyone's cup of tea. Om Raut, who had earlier directed Lokmanya and Tanaji, and then the disastrous Adipurush, is one of the film's producers. This sort of throws some light upon what Raut was trying to do with the story of Ramayana.
#manojbaypayee #jimsarbh #inspectorzende #netflix #charlessobhraj
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