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The bigger mystery than the one explored in Detective Sherdil is why the lead star hasn't promoted the film. There isn't a post on Diljit Dosanjh's Instagram profile in recent times about it, but posts galore about his next theatrical release, Sardaarji 3.
Anyway, coming back to Detective Sherdil, it's a story revolving around a detective who gets involved in a case involving a billionaire's (Boman Irani) murder in broad daylight. Suspects are his family, comprising a wife, brother-in-law, daughter and many more.
Detective Sherdil appears to be more intelligent than it really is. A multitude of characters form the cast- Banita Sandhu as Pankaj Bhatti’s daughter Shanti, Diana Penty as Natasha, Chunky Panday as Bodhi Mama, Sumeet Vyas and more give it a proper Knives Out setting, and that’s also my pet peeve with a host of thriller films- they all inevitably end up looking and feeling the same.
Housefull 5- a group of people are investigated for a billionaire’s murder aboard a cruise, Vidya Balan’s Neeyat in 2023, which was again about- you guessed it right- a billionaire’s murder. So then, the only real innovation can happen in the big reveal.
Diljit’s Detective Sherdil spouts one-liners, comes close to breaking the fourth wall, but there is nothing concrete, really, that he comes up with. If anything, he’s an average detective. He comes up with an analysis of what could have happened at the crime scene and with the different suspects, but none of it is convincing enough. And the done-to-death storyline doesn’t help either. Sagar Bajaj, Ravi Zafar and Ali Abbas Zafar have been credited for the writing.
The runtime is under two hours, so thankfully, it doesn’t get stretched. But the plot development is linear, with a lack of shocking twists. Diljit’s cool dude energy comes off a bit pretentious at times. Diana, as a no-nonsense detective working with Sherdil, is passable.
Boman Irani, as the patriarch, infuses some life into this film. Ratna Pathak Shah, as his cunning wife, is also good. The rest of the cast does their job. Chunky, as Boman's mysterious brother-in-law, makes his presence felt.
Overall, Detective Sherdil is a glossy but underwhelming murder mystery that tries to wear a smart hat but forgets to fill it with real wit or suspense.
E-Paper
