Inspector Zende kicks off like a desi Pink Panther romp, with Manoj Bajpayee’s bumbling yet bulldog Inspector channeling Clousseau’s chaos in a riotous hunt for escaped con Carl Bhojraj (a slick Jim Sarbh). Early scenes sparkle with Mumbai mayhem – slapstick stakeouts, quirky team banter – that had me chuckling at Zende’s underdog grit amid 1980s grit.
But then it veers wildly: thriller shadows creep in, dark comedy sours the laughs, leaving the tone as muddled as a monsoon traffic jam.
Chinmay Mandlekar’s debut script, rooted in Sobhraj’s real 1986 recapture, nails the humor-heart blend at first but fumbles the suspense, wasting Sachin Khedekar’s stern DGP and Girija Oak’s warm anchor. Vishal Sinha’s nostalgic lens and Sanket Sane’s peppy score keep it watchable, a true-crime nod that’s timely in Netflix’s binge era.
At 5.5/10, it’s a missed opportunity… could’ve soared as supercop satire but crash-lands in confusion. Still, Bajpayee’s magic makes it mildly memorable. Stream for the smiles, skip the stumble.
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