Inspector Zende: Manoj Bajpayee stars as Mumbai’s supercop in Netflix film
Netflix has unveiled the official trailer of its upcoming crime drama Inspector Zende, with Manoj Bajpayee stepping into the role of Mumbai’s renowned police officer Madhukar Zende. The film is set to premiere on September 5.
The trailer shows Bajpayee donning the police uniform, leading his team on a high-stakes chase. A few days earlier, Netflix had teased the release with a poster captioned: “Interpol’s most wanted meets Mumbai’s most unstoppable. Can Carl Bhojraj escape this time? Watch Inspector Zende, out 5 September, only on Netflix.”
The movie is inspired by Zende’s relentless pursuit of Charles Sobhraj, the infamous serial killer often dubbed the “Bikini Killer.” In this dramatized version, Sobhraj is reimagined as Carl Bhojraj, played by Jim Sarbh. The story traces the meticulous police operation that culminated in his arrest.
Directed by Chinmay D. Mandlekar, the film also stars Bhalchandra Kadam, Sachin Khedekar, Girija Oak and Harish Dudhade.
This isn’t the first time Zende’s legacy has been revisited. Akshay Shah’s 2023 documentary Zende and Zende’s own memoir Mumbai’s Most Wanted: The Thrilling Case Files of a Supercop have previously explored his career.
Charles Sobhraj rose to notoriety in the 1970s for targeting young tourists across Asia. His 1986 escape from Delhi’s Tihar Jail—where he reportedly drugged guards during a staged party—remains one of the most infamous prison breaks in India’s history.
Inspector Zende will stream exclusively on Netflix starting September 5.
