Dolcy D’Cruz
Charles Sobhraj, infamously known as the ‘Bikini Killer’ and ‘The Serpent’, is the perfect blend of charm and crime. A manipulative psychopath with a suave persona, he evaded capture across countries and fascinated pop culture. His story continues to inspire filmmakers, making him an enduring figure in true crime lore. However, what was the confidence of an Indian police officer to track down this killer in Goa with just a 15-year old photo and a single bike number? This story of the real-life hero, ACP Madhukar Zende, the police inspector from Mumbai, shot to fame when he nabbed serial killer and conman, Charles Sobhraj, at O’Coqueiro, Porvorim, in 1986 that will be portrayed in a quirky and humorous way by the director Chinmay Mandlekar in his directorial debut, ‘Inspector Zende’ releasing exclusively on Netflix on September 5.
The cast of the film includes Manoj Bajpayee who plays Inspector Zende, Jim Sarbh who plays Carl Bhojraj, Sachin Khedekar and Bhalchandra Kadam. “When we started working on the film, I did not know that this entire chapter carried such a lot of humour in it. My main source of information was Mr Zende himself. And very luckily, his family had kept all the newspaper clippings from that time in various publications.
One thing that struck me was that these guys had nothing. They just had one picture, which was 15 years old and a single bike. I asked Mr Zende, ‘what was your preparation?’ He said, only thing I knew is that I have to get him. There is a dialogue in the film where Manoj says, “usko liye bina toh jaayenge nahi.” In today’s time, we have lot of intelligence, CCTV cameras at almost every corner of the streets.
But back then, police instinct was the main thing. That is how the film is built and that is where even the humour comes from,” explains Chinmay, who has also acted in films like ‘Kashmir Files’ and ‘Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh’. Manoj Bajpayee brings out the same character with his own uniqueness. “Inspector Zende’ is based on a real-life person. In Mumbai, he was a super cop in his time. Somebody who hasn’t fired a shot and is still known as a super cop is quite an achievement. What kind of person he was in his late 40s? How was he at home with family or with his neighbours? What was his behaviour when he was on the job?
All of these things required a lot of studies and conversation with the director, who is also a writer in this context. It takes at least a month to really start seeing the character in front of you. When you start rehearsing for the first shot, then it starts coming in shape. It’s an ongoing journey till the film is complete,” says Manoj. He further adds, “Mr Zende came twice on set, but before that my director didn’t want me to meet him because he’s 88 now.
I’m playing Inspector Zende, who is 49 years old. Most of it is firstly the writer’s interpretation then the actor’s interpretation. He’s a rock star, the most easy-going, and chilled out guy. He also has given a lot of creative freedom. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the role. The situations are such which really make you laugh. It’s an out and out entertainer.” A household name in the world of Marathi cinema, Bhalchandra Kadam also known as Bhau Kadam plays a police officer in the film. “This is my second Hindi film after ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ where I played just one scene.
But here I have a bigger role and it was a fun character to play. One dialogue in the trailer of ‘Rishi Kapoor’ has caught on with the audience,” says Bhau Kadam. Chinmay explains that the film is not a documentary and there are certain aspects which are dramatized for which the required permissions was taken from Mr Zende himself. The film was shot in different locations in Goa including Saligao, Panjim, Candolim beach and the ferry between Panjim and Divar Island. Chinmay said that he loves being in Goa. “Goa is always fun. It is always nice to be in Goa. We shot in March in Goa when it was a bit hot, but it was fun.” However, they couldn’t shoot at O Coqueiro where the actual arrest of Charles Sobhraj took place. “The O Coqueiro that we saw in 1986 and the way it is now, it has changed a lot. It has now almost come on the highway.
So we had to recreate that particular space and image. They have removed the statue of Charles Sobhraj because of the work now. In fact, they have started something called as Zende Platter which is a chicken starters platter named after him,” he adds. The trailer, which features a track with rap by Goa’s very own Amit Naik, offers a glimpse of Goa in the 1980s, adding to the nostalgic magic of the film. “That is one thing we worked very diligently on. And full credit goes to our production designer, Rajesh Choudhary, our DOP, Vishal Sinha and the entire team.
That time period is now gone. You will not see that kind of cars or gadgets anymore or even the empty field. Now Goa is very different. If anyone wants to see, how Goa was in the 1980s? They might see our movie,” says Chinmay with a smile. Manoj however, enjoys his time with his family in Goa, “When we come to Goa, we stay in such a place that is very simple so that we can enjoy Goa fully. But yes, there are other things about Goa which is far more fascinating. When people are coming from outside, they love Goa. They are fascinated by it and want to be part of Goa. It’s up to Goans how they want to assimilate them into the culture. The rules should be yours