I almost did not watch the film on ZEE5, now called Z5. The reviews and opinions were uniformly bad. So I decided to watch the film only because Diljit Dosanjh was supposed to be so good as to be its saving grace. Also, there was nothing else that was exciting on OTT.
In a recent interview, Kajol had quoted that horror films need a different and specific pitch from normal cinema, which she had to attain as per its director. I would like to extend that to viewers—for whodunits and ‘howdunits’ too. Sadly, a lot of the audiences (including critics) do not have that frequency or vibe. Look at the initial fates of brilliant films like Johnny Gaddaar and you know where I come from.
Add an innate or inborn inferiority complex about Indian cinema and the almost trait of myopically dishing out encomiums for even mediocre foreign movies and we get the gist. Detective Sherdil has been panned for its structure (admittedly too flippant in parts, but then it is intended to also have a comic essence a la Karamchand), plot (the denouement is actually superb and cerebral) and script (one worthy wrote that you can make out the culprit from early on, which any viewer will find absurd, given the solution).
What I found a shade avoidable was the location of the story: Budapest!! Here is a completely foreign city where all the ace cops seem to be Indian and we have their Hungarian boss who can be easily dominated. Ergo, only the minor characters (save one) are Hungarian! After the climax, there is an important matter that is not resolved or explained, though not actually connected to the main plot. Curious? Well, watch the film, which offers insights into not just dysfunctional family relationships but also a human being’s unending lust for pelf.
Now for the plotline: the tycoon Pankaj Bhatti (Boman Irani) is murdered while traveling in his car by a hired assassin. The Indian police, led by mouth-organ virtuoso (!) Detective Shergil (Diljit) and his aides Natasha (Diana Penty) and Danny (Mikhail Yawalkar) are assigned the case.
There is a plethora of suspects, chiefly family members. Wife Rajeshwari (Ratna Pathak), Angad, a son addicted to pleasures rather than work (Sumeet Vyas), his foreign wife, Elizabeth (Sarah Barlondo), a deaf-mute daughter, Shanti (Banita Sandhu) who is the apple of Pankaj’s eye and quirky, nature-loving brother-in-law, Bodhi (Chunky Pandey) are all potential killers. There are more: Pankaj’s will doles out 10 percent of his fortune to his pooch, ten percent to Bodhi (who Pankaj used to detest!) and a whopper 80 percent to the deaf and mute Purvak (Arjun Tanwar) who is said to be Shanti’s flame. And so Bodhi and, above all, Purvak (who is absconding since!) are prime suspects.
The family, including Shanti, abuse Purvak of forging Pankaj (who hated him!!)’s will and then killing him and decamping, but why should a beneficiary run away? Besides, Bhatti’s chauffeur Jaipal (Mukesh Bhatt), who was absent from the murder scene, is also missing, while assassin Luca (Grant Huggair), when caught, even complains that he has not been paid for the job!
Sherdil and company finally get Purvak into custody. And he accepts that he killed Pankaj. But the shrewd sleuth Sherdil states that the mystery has just really begun…
Agreeing with most critiques, I found Diljit very likeable with his smirky, eccentric manner, and his easy smile that can mean anything. Diana Penty does a skilled job of her undemanding role, and Boman Irani, as usual, is accomplished. Ratna Pathak Shah, Sumeet Vyas and Banita Sandhu are excellent, while Kashmira Irani springs a surprise as the maid, Falak. Another revelation is Arjun Tanwar as Purvak. Chunky Pandey has been evolving considerably beginning with Begun Jaan and he too sparkles in a brief role. Mikhail Yawalkar as Danny is good too.
The music is right for the mood, and I give high marks for the story and the way it develops, with no rough edges or flaws. The direction and script are gimmicky, quite substantially in the Queen’s language and there is a hint that this will be turned into a series. Director Ravi Chabriya’s editing, however, seems too stylized, as if he is set to make a Karamchand-meets-Hercule Poirot blend. The core plot, however, seems clearly inspired (but certainly not copied) by a certain Agatha Christie novel.
But no spoilers please! In fact, I am looking forward to the next one!
Rating: ***1/2
Z5 presents Offside Entertainment’s, Maurya Entertainment’s & AAZ Films’ Detective Sherdil Produced by: Himanshu Kishan Mehra, Ali Abbas Zafar, Rohini Singh & Manmeet Singh Directed by: Ravi Chhabriya Written by: Ravi Chhabriya, Ali Abbas Zafar & Sagar Bajaj Music: Joel Crasto Starring: Diljit Dosanjh, Diana Penty, Boman Irani, Ratna Pathak Shah, Chunky Pandey, Banita Sandhu, Sumeet Vyas, Sarah Barlondo, Mike Capozzola, Kashmira Irani, Mikhail Yawalkar, Arjun Tanwar, Grant Huggair, Mukesh Bhatt & others
