Inspector Zende Review: Manoj Bajpayee’s Bold Netflix Thriller

Netflix’s Inspector Zende is a retelling of the story of Inspector Madhukar Bapurao Zende, the Mumbai police officer best known for having arrested Charles Sobhraj twice. The film is produced by Chinmay D. Mandlekar and provides a different take on suspense within a crime film by fusing suspense and humor rather than maintaining the genre's usual dark and dreary tone.

This retelling provides a backdrop for Zende's identity as a policeman, yet he is portrayed as a dutiful family man who struggles to balance his duties as a policeman and his family obligations. This characterization ultimately provides some depth to Zende and makes him relatable to an audience. Manoj Bajpayee plays Zende with conviction and credence, and Jim Sarbh plays Carl Bhojraj, a fictional Sobhraj. The narrative style of the story also elevates the adaptation compared to other on-screen adaptations based on true crime.

Performances That Drive the Film

Manoj Bajpayee leads the film with a grounded, low-key performance that is compelling. His characterization of Zende allows viewers to visualize him as a man with intention and humble fortitude - no showboating. This gives the character plausibility and behaves and, consequently, had been rooted in the film for long enough that the audience clicked in and stayed anchored with Zende.

Jim Sarbh is paired nicely as Carl Bhojraj. Sarbh offers charm on the surface, with menace lurking underneath him. His performance embodies the duplicitous personality that is often associated with Sobhraj. The moments when Bajpayee and Sarbh share scenes are the real action as their entwined scenes create the edgiest moments in the film.

The supporting cast is a nice touch to push the story along but it is the leads who resonate throughout the film as a couple and who create the contrast that pulls the viewer in until the end.

Mumbai of the Past Brought Back to Life

One of the film’s strong points is definitely its setting. The 1970s and 1980s are a dynamic backdrop and are rendered with care, from the old-style police jeeps, the uniform, to the frenetic streets of Bombay. This nostalgia grounds the story but also provides a sense of storytelling of how policing took place before complex technology.

The visuals give viewers authenticity and atmosphere, and it’s light-hearted treatment of the story makes it accessible to a large range of audiences. The softer tone of the tent of the tone will not satisfy some that feel operate Sobhraj’s crimes deserves to be presented as some level of inner (vacuum) seriousness.

'inspector zende' reminded me of how much fun seeing the comic side of manoj bajpayee can really be. this film rests entirely on his shoulders, and i had a smile on my face throughout all his scenes. really wish to see him in a priyadarshan-style wild comedy some day pic.twitter.com/dlavqXGmZO

— Hindol Hazra (@hindolheroic) September 5, 2025

Conclusion

Inspector Zende is not your average crime thriller. Its mix of humor and suspense lifted the true-crime genre to a fresh new level. The grounded performance of Manoj Bajpayee, Jim Sarbh's flamboyant villainy, and the thoughtful details of retro Mumbai made it a fun time. While the lighter tone might be divisive, the movie manages to tell a well known story differently, making it even more worthwhile as part of Netflix's Hindi originals.