Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Manoj Bajpayee slips into his inner mongoose as Inspector Zende, a Mumbai cop on a covert mission to hunt down Carl Bhojraj: the slippery snake of a serial killer who has slithered out of Tihar jail.
Directed by Chinmay Mandlekar, this crime comedy is loosely inspired by real events, and stars Jim Sarbh as Carl Bhojraj, “Interpol’s most wanted criminal,” modeled after the infamous murderer Charles Sobhraj. Dubbed as the ‘Bikini Killer’ and ‘Swimsuit Killer,’ Carl makes headlines for escaping prison. The story then follows a team of Mumbai cops, led by Manoj Bajpayee, determined to hunt him down and lock him back behind bars.
Sachin Khedekar appears as Inspector Zende’s superior, while Bhau Kadam, Onkar Raut, Harish Dudhade, Bharat Savale, and Nitin Bhajan form his undercover team tasked with nabbing Carl Bhojraj. Their pursuit takes them from Mumbai to Goa, where Carl is suspected to be roaming on a blue Rajdoot and plotting his next grand escape, this time, from India to America.
One of the cops’ biggest challenges is keeping the operation hush-hush, they don’t want to share credit with either the Goa or Delhi police if they manage to bag the snake themselves. Whenever someone asks what he’s doing in Goa, Inspector Zende’s reply is simple: “Picnic”. Manoj Bajpayee and his squad make for an entertaining bunch of bumbling cops, always a step behind, missing Carl Bhojraj by a whisker a bunch of times.
Even as a spoofed version of Charles Sobhraj, Jim Sarbh nails the role, oozing the easy charm and sly menace that once let the real-life killer to charm, manipulate, and ultimately murder his victims. He should’ve been cast to play the serial-killer in Netflix’s critically acclaimed series Black Warrant too.
‘Inspector Zende’ is most relatable when it’s emphasizing the middle-class quirks of its Mumbai cops, from the thrill of their very first flight, to Zende’s wife scrambling for a borrowed suit, to the earnest cop who tallies every chai and taxi fare for the office accounts. These touches are fun, though sometimes laid on a bit thick.
Director Chinmay Mandlekar takes what could have been a gritty noir about a serial-killer chase and spins it into a crime comedy, a gamble that pays off only in parts. The lighter tone makes ‘Inspector Zende’ more family-friendly, steering clear of sex, sleaze, or steam, though it doesn’t shy away from a few violent murders. Yet, it’s not riotously hilarious either, and the comic tone robs the story of the edge that a darker treatment could have offered.
It’s an unusual cocktail: cops who look like tourists on holiday, yet are chasing one of the world’s most wanted criminals. The result is a sunny, silly caper best enjoyed as a one-off escape.
Watch ‘Inspector Zende’ on Netflix.
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