Inspector Zende Review: Manoj Bajpayee Shines, Film Falls Short

BOTTOM LINE
Manoj Bajpayee Shines, Film Falls Short

PLATFORM
NETFLIX

RUNTIME
1hr 51Minutes

What Is the Film About?

After a notorious serial killer, Carl Bhojraj, escapes from Tihar Jail, Mumbai cop Zende, who had previously caught him 15 years ago, is tasked to find him again. With a small team, Zende pursues the elusive criminal across cities, using his instincts and old-school policing to track him down. The cat-and-mouse chase culminates in Goa, where the team uses their wits to capture Carl.

Performances

Inspector Zende puts Manoj Bajpayee in a similar spot as The Family Man – a duty-bound officer, alternating between familial priorities and work, but with stronger moral support. He lends delicate, subtle comedy touches to the role and also shows Zende’s firmness about his stance, both at home and at duty. The balance that Bajpayee brings to the part is indeed one of the film’s sweeter spots.

Jim Sarbh’s casting is apt, though the character is poorly fleshed out for a film that’s all about the cops trying to catch him. Sachin Khedekar brings a rare ordinariness to the performance, minus any melodrama. Girija Oak provides depth to the domestic drama segments, while Bhalchandra Patil and Harish Dudhade bag quirky roles that add to the film’s flavour.

Analysis

Inspector Zende is based on a true story of a Mumbai cop who caught hold of criminal Charles Sobhraj twice (after an escape from Tihar jail). Set in the 80s, this underdog tale, helmed by Chinmay Mandlekar, around a manhunt, is laced with nostalgia; landlines, cabarets, betting mafia, typewriters, times when a wife could ask a DGP to hand over puranpolis to her husband amidst a covert operation.

The protagonist is a man on a mission, but knows his priorities well, managing time between his home and work, enough to please his wife (whom he addresses as Commissioner), aware of when to take it easy and give it all to the task at hand. Having apprehended Carl Bhojraj (name changed) 15 years ago, his past is behind him; he needs to catch him again to reclaim his glory.

The film clearly establishes that the story is around Zende’s secret hunt for Carl Bhojraj, but doesn’t say why it was significant in the 80s. Beyond a few sketchy details, there’s no sufficient context to understand the enigma/aura around the criminal – if it’s his escapes from jail, the curiosity around his ethnic identity or the hippie lifestyle? Why is he always on the run? What explains his actions?

It presumes that its target audience would already connect the dots about Carl Bhojraj’s colourful life and savour the narrative (well, good for them). All it emphasises consistently is his Casanova lifestyle, as someone has his ways to woo women, why firangis feature in the list of his victims, with flashes of the ruthlessness (or randomness?) in his behaviour.

In contrast, it’s the old-school instincts of Zende and his team, their flaws, the middle-class-ness of their personas, unaware of what’s in store for them, wearing their integrity lightly (doesn’t make a fuss about it), that helps the tale tick along. When the DGP needs to meet Zende and his team secretively before the operation, they simply choose the latter’s house and discuss matters over tea.

Zende is excited about boarding a flight and travelling to Goa for the first time, for which his wife hands him a suit and an ‘all the best’ note using a typewriter. The cops adopt fancy names, wear eccentric wigs as part of the not-so-secret operation. Then, there are typical departmental clashes with Goan officers, a senior Delhi cop, who want to grab their share of credit in nabbing Carl.

The climax is the icing on the cake; it unfolds over a dance party during a wedding. Zende and Carl almost have a duet. This flashiness is indeed a topping that a story like this deserved, but where’s the cake? You can sense something delectable, but you can’t go beyond the cherries. Also, the subplot of the senior cop, who fears catching hold of Carl, deserved a better closure.

By the end, Inspector Zende wants to be a bit of everything – a tribute to a real-life character, a comic-style manhunt, an underdog comedy and an ode to middle-class integrity. All you get are glimpses of what the film could’ve been, with more grounding than the quirks. It’s a bitter-sweet pill to swallow – you want to like it, but it just falls short.

Music and Other Departments?

Sanket Sane’s colourful score helps the film transition across its distinct contours efficiently. The obvious choice of a sepia-tinted visual exterior is underwhelming, robbing the team of much scope to experiment with the texture or tweak norms.

The runtime, under 2 hours, aids the viewing experience, but one wishes it took more time to set a better foundation for the film. The dialogues are cheeky and the ‘basic-ness’ of the action choreography catches your attention. The costume design breaks away from cliches and complements the detailing of the film’s world.

Highlights?

Good story

Quirkiness of the hunt, characterisation of the cops

Performances by Manoj Bajpayee and supporting cast

Drawbacks?

Unsure of what it wants to be

Characterisation of the antagonist

Lacks a proper foundation, relies too heavily on quirks

Did I Enjoy It?

In parts

Will You Recommend It?

If you don’t mind a timepass yet flawed cop comedy, you may try it

 Inspector Zende OTT Movie Review by M9