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Join UsStar Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Jim Sarbh, Sachin Khedekar, Girija Oak, Bhalchandra Kadam, Vaibhav Mangale, Harish Dudhade, Onkar Raut, Bharat Savale, Devaang Bagga
Director: Chinmay Mandlekar
What’s Good: Everything!
What’s Bad: Nothing!
Loo Break: Not Needed
Watch or Not?:Â Definitely Yes!
Language: Hindi
Available On: Netflix
Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
User Rating:
There are actors, there are superstars, and then there is Manoj Bajpayee ruling an altogether different league of films! Whenever we hear cop dramas, we suspect it to be a prototype of some Rohit Shetty film. Cop dramas, in general, are either filled with high-octane action scenes or with intense suspense thrillers. More so, if it is inspired by a real incident or based on a real officer, it involves more chest thumping! But Inspector Zende breaks this stereotype at every level!
Based on the life of a real police officer who served as Assistant Commissioner of Police as well, the film breaks the monotony of cop drama, serving as a fun and entertaining watch. It introduces the game of chor-police in the most humane yet funny way that is possible!
In one of the scenes in Inspector Zende, Manoj Bajpayee declares, “Paandu kehte hain log hamein, Bambai ke paandu. Lekin inhe pata nahi hai ki Bambai ka paandu agar apni pe aa gaya to acche acchon ka naseeb ‘g**ndu’ bana deta hai.” This declaration comes in between, but the premise of Inspector Zende is set on this one emotion – police officers look like normal, fun-loving people, who make mistakes, who are afraid, and who panic. But what happens when they are responsible for fulfilling a job? They dive into the task and complete it, no matter what!
Inspector Zende Movie Review: Script Analysis
Inspector Zende sets the premise straight – a criminal, Carls Bhojraj, has been on the loose from Tihar Jail and he reaches Mumbai. An officer from the Mumbai Police, Madhukar Bapurao Zende, nabbed Carl 15 years ago. He is assigned the task yet again, and he sets out on the mission with a team. The only difference is that – 15 years ago, Carls was a criminal; now he is a psychopath who has committed 32 murders already!
From here starts a funny yet interesting game of Chor Police. Director  Chinmay Mandlekar tries to tell a tale as it is instead of making it heroic! In fact, instead of making the police look like a fabricated and fantasized cop, he makes Zende believable – a man with morals, integrity, and a man who displays all the scope and probability to go wrong. But still, the best part of Zende is that Chinmay presents him as a man who will keep working on his mistakes unless he gets it right!
Zende and his friends are on a mission to grab Carl, since he fooled the Mumbai Police and mocked them. However, things go crazy when Bombay Police reaches to Goa with a plan but Goa police has other plans. The entire rivalry also takes center stage but never lets th story deviate and for me Chinmay, wins at this very point! His story never loses focus! It is about Zende, believing he is a mongoose who will grab the snake – Carls Bhojraj, anyway!
Inspector Zende Movie Review: Star Performance
Inspector Zende wins with Manoj Bajpayee’s conviction to play the protagonist! He balances the humor and the grit brilliantly. His character isn’t a chest thumping, bike riding or car driving officer who is a larger than life hero, but he is a man simply doing a tough job, burdened by his own history. The entire story of Zende is about finding a flicker of hope and redemption in a world full of deceit and power plays. Manoj Bajpayee makes Zende believable and real in every frame.
Apart from Manoj Bajpayee, Bhau Kadam as Patil and Harish Dudhade as Jacob support this intense drama brilliantly! The winning moment arrives with Bahu Kadam’s Patil, failing to perform his duty because he was simply scared! Such a profound thought put so brilliantly! And Kadam makes it look emotional, yet intense! It happens with all of us, but officers aren’t allowed to have their moments of doubts right?
Meanwhile Harish Dudhade’s Jacob comes across as the tough Cop Universe. There are instances when his senior asks him to smile and he responds with a stone face – “Main has raha hun, Sir.” He clearly portrays the dilemma of being an officer – we expect them to be tough, to be serious, forgetting that they are like all of us! But still they are expected to behave tough and concrete! Jim Sarbh is a winning masterstroke as Charles Shobhraj (used as Carls Bhojraj). His suave swagger is unmatched!
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Inspector Zende Movie Review: Direction, Music
The music of Inspector Zende is as hilarious as the film! Charlie Baby had me laughing at an instant! The song is so random yet feels so right. Totally abrupt but still at the right place and time! The diceyness of it all makes the music work like a couple made in heaven for this film! Sanket Sane and Swanand Kirkire deserve all the applause.
Except for using Mumbai instead of Bambai, I cannot find any major flaw in Inspector Zende. It made me smile and I kept smiling throughout! The length of the film could have been trimmed but I will not complain. In fact, all the complaints went for a toss when I saw Manoj Bajpayee shaking hands with the OG Inspector Zende!
Inspector Zende, works in each and every emotion it builds! Be it a housewife borrowing a blazer from her neighbor, as her Inspector Husband goes to board his first flight, or a police officer getting a cold shoulder after he sees a serial killer in person and instead of nabbing him, he escapes. All the emotions work in favor of Inspector Zende!
Inspector Zende Movie Review: The Last Word
In one of the scenes, Zende tells his wife, “Jo doosron pe zulm naa kare, wo bhala aadmi. Jo khud pe zulm na hone de wo accha aadmi aur jo doosron pe zulm hone se roke wo saccha aadmi!” I think the same goes for films as well! “Jo doosron ko entertain kare wo bhali film, Jo apni story mein honest rahe wo acchi film aur jo corporate ke zulm se khud ko bacha le wo sacchi film!”
4 stars!
Inspector Zende Trailer
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