Inspector Zende Movie Review: What do you think of when we say a Bollywood cop-criminal film? Dark, intense and larger-than-life, sprinkled with masala, with a dash of slick? It is these tropes that make
them excruciatingly predictable. The righteous hero aka the cop versus the immoral criminal villain. A tragedy that fuels the former’s mission. Instant justice. Vigilantism. Stylised, slow-motion introduction sequences. A romantic angle. A mole in the system. Lots of dialogue-baazi and over-the-top action sequences.
And oh, a sexy item number featuring a diva with an hourglass physique to offer the hero the time and the space to catch hold of the delinquent and the audience some titillating respite. Rarely do you come across a cop-nabs-criminal story laced and infused with comic elements. And that’s exactly what makes Inspector Zende stand out. It’s based on Inspector Madhukar B Zende’s pursuit to capture the infamous murderer, Charles Shobraj, that he recounted in his memoir, Mumbai’s Most Wanted.
But in Inspector Zende, the protagonist is on a mission to nab Carl Bhojraj, the ‘swimsuit killer’. The Chinmay D Mandlekar directorial opens in the Mumbai of 1986. A very simple but sharp middle-class Zende, who lives in a chawl, is tasked by his ‘commissioner’ aka his wife to pick up milk from a nearby booth. While he patiently stands in the queue waiting for his turn, he learns that Carl, Interpol’s most wanted criminal, has escaped from Tihar Jail and has flown down to Mumbai.
15 years ago, it was Zende who had captured Carl while he was robbing a businessman in Mumbai that led to him being imprisoned in the infamous Delhi jail. He leaves his task unfinished and rushes back to the police station. The DGP gives him the responsibility of nabbing Carl once again. Dreaded criminal Carl usually puts himself up in lavish five-star hotels. He leads a flamboyant lifestyle, is a Casanova and smooth charmer and described as a man ‘jiska chehra Dev Anand ke tarah handsome aur zubaan Rajesh Khanna ke tarah meethi hai’. His licence plate has the words ‘hero chi gaadi’ engraved on it.
When he escapes from the city from quite literally right under the Mumbai police’s nose, Zende and his team set out to Goa to catch hold of him. Now, this group of men are not your regular testosterone-pumped Bollywood cops with toned bodies and washboard abs. They freak out as this is the first time that they board a flight. They aren’t sharp-tongued, witty people dishing out one-liners and repartees but are a bunch of vulnerable, everyday cops – some with paunches – from Agripada Police Station, whose reactions and naïve eccentricities will leave you in splits.
There’s no spiffy cat-and-mouse chase here either. The makers successfully and thankfully decide to keep it as real as possible. The ‘pandus’ don’t possess the charm of Carl, a modern revolver that can make the Delhi ke ‘thulle’ envious, enough money to carry out their mission without any hurdle or even the right kind of sophisticated outfits to blend in with the crowd at Goa’s posh pubs. When they decide to go undercover and take aliases, Patil, a sub-inspector, hilariously blurts out the name ‘Rushi Kapoor’. Zende, on the other hand, introduces himself as Om Raut.
These moments will surely crack you up. Never for once do they appear contrived, rather they seamlessly blend in with the mood of the narrative. At 1 hour 52 minutes, Inspector Zende makes for a crisp, taut and well-made comedy peppered with impish but clever shenanigans. No, there are no nail-biting moments that will push you to the edge of your seat, but it’s the film’s simplicity that makes it soar. Inspector Zende proves that not at all cop thrillers need to be crammed with death-defying stunts or high-concept panache.
No time is wasted in packing in romantic subplots or even backstories in this film. Zende and his wife’s affectionate, light-hearted teasing is also beautifully woven into the narrative. To render an element of authenticity to the plot and the era in which it is set, the makers opt for a veil of sepia tint that looms large over the film. Cinematographer Vishal Sinha and production designer Rajesh Choudhary deserve a special mention here. This realism, a highlight of the film, is refreshing.
But the real star of the film is Chinmay, who has also penned the screenplay. Right from the frame when Zende quietly bursts onto the screen to one of the last frames when he sits atop Carl so that he can’t escape under the pretext of relieving himself – every scene is sprinkled with dollops of humour. Chinmay strikes a rare balance between suspense and humour. The wry jokes are rooted in character quirks and never feel like manufactured punchlines. And these character-driven gags work because they feel true to local and colloquial essence of Mumbai.
These crests are further elevated by some impressive performances. Manoj Bajpyee, who plays the titular role of Inspector Zende, gets it right, right from the word go. His deadpan expressions and dry sense of humour add an extra edge to the part, which in turn, renders character and substance to the plot. His traits and quirks may remind us of Srikant Tiwari from The Family Man but we aren’t complaining! He stands out for his unassuming and unassertive presence even in the comical scenes.
Jim Sarbh as Carl returns to the Neerja zone, where he once again plays a notorious criminal mind with an accent. He slips under the skin of the charming and handsome Carl Bhojraj effortlessly. As Zende finally nabs Carl, there’s a bizarre fight sequence at a club in Goa, that ensues between the two, which almost looks like a comically intimate dance sequence. Bhalchandra Kadam deserves a special mention for his impeccable comic timing and so does Girija Oak for the luminosity and grace she brings to the table.
As an innocent wife worried about sending puranpolis to her husband who’s away on a secret mission, Girija’s performance will warm your heart. Watch Inspector Zende for its simplicity. Watch it because it’s miles away from your run-of-the-mill story about a cop’s bravery. Watch it for its quietly funny moments, that will lead you to laugh out loud and god knows, how much we need that in these times!
