Saagar Kote
Netflix’s action thriller film ‘Inspector Zende’ narrates the adrenaline-fueled story of a manhunt to capture a dreaded criminal named Carl Bhojraj, who escapes from Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Inspector Madhukar Bapurao Zende of Mumbai Police is tasked by his superior officer, DGP Purandare, to capture the escapee and bring him to justice. The film examines themes of deception, secrecy, false identities, and bravery intricately, while also looking at the workings of the police department and the challenges it faces in carrying out dangerous missions. As the narrative reaches its conclusion, Zende and his team find themselves in the midst of a great opportunity to capture Carl and prove their worth to the department. Driven by his conviction, the protagonist vows to capture the criminal at any cost and transport him to Maharashtra. The fates of both Carl and Zende hang in the balance as they prepare to face any challenge that comes their way. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Inspector Zende Plot Synopsis
The narrative begins with an introduction to Mumbai city in the year 1986, and the daily life of Inspector Madhukar Bapurao Zende. News breaks out that Carl Bhojraj, a notorious criminal, wanted by Interpol, also known as the “Swimsuit Killer,” has escaped from Tihar Jail in Delhi, along with other inmates David Jones, Lalit Khatana, Ratan Tomar, and Subhash Tyagi. At Agripada Police Station, Zende gets a call from DGP Purandare, after which the protagonist recounts how he arrested Carl fifteen years ago. He also exhibits that he has immense knowledge of Carl’s criminal history, including his other nickname “Snake,” and his Indian, French, and Lebanese heritage. The superior officer tasks the cop with finding and arresting the escaped convict again.
After many rounds of investigation in the city, Zende finally gets a clue that a suspicious foreigner has checked into Hotel Airport Plaza. However, Carl manages to avoid Zende and his team in a fortuitous manner. The DGP gets reprimanded by the Home Minister and Mr. Swamy of the Interpol for failing to capture Carl. An officer named Jacob joins the protagonist to aid him in his manhunt. At the VT Railway Police Station, one of the escapees, Ratan Tomar, is caught, and he claims his real name is Ajay Agarwal. After Zende bested up for information about Carl, the escapee points him towards Hotel Panchratna in Panvel, where Subhash Tyagi is captured. After being threatened by Zende and team, Tyagi reveals that Carl purchased a blue colored “Rajdoot” bike and might have headed to Goa.
Carl kills Lalit in Goa and plans to escape to the US. The DGP summons Zende and other officers for a secret mission and aims to capture Carl in Goa. The protagonist picks officers Jacob, Patil, Deshmane, Patekar, and Naik as members of the secret team. The team checks into a hostel in Goa using aliases and starts looking for Carl, following which they decide to search five-star hotels and clubs, but don’t find much success. Later, Zende crashes a party disguised as a hippie and almost comes close to spotting the Swimsuit Killer. Carl, with David’s help, kills a foreign tourist named John Miller to use his ID to acquire a passport. Patil scouts Divar Island and finds the blue Rajdoot bike, along with David and Carl, but is unable to follow them due to his fear, for which Zende reprimands him.
The protagonist deduces that Carl might be using telephone exchange facilities to contact his American wife, Chantelle, who actually has most of the criminal’s money. The team finds out that people are using international calling facilities at O’Coqueiro illegally. The team runs into Mr. Vyas of the Delhi Police, who has a team of sixteen officers to nab the Snake. But the Delhi cop turns out to be a rude and condescending individual, who shows no interest in collaboration. Zende and team deduce that Carl might try to escape by boarding a ship named “Seafern” and traveling to the US. Zende plans to keep vigil at O’Coqueiro, feeling strongly that Carl will turn up again.
Inspector Zende Ending: How Does Zende Capture Carl?
Inspector Zende finally narrows in on O’Coqueiro Hotel & Banquet as potentially the most likely place where he and his team can capture Carl Bhojraj. He keeps vigil at the restaurant, where a wedding reception takes place with maximum celebrations and loud music. As the other team members prepare to leave for the docks to keep an eye on potential escape attempts by Carl, they unexpectedly face car troubles, which ensures that they are at O’Coqueiro. In a shocking moment, Zende finally spots the “Swimsuit Killer” at the restaurant, casually dining with his associate, David Jones. Zende realizes that his target is within his reach and disguises himself as a waiter to approach the two escapees. Once he gets close, he starts physically fighting with David and calls for Patil’s help.
Carl immediately starts to resist and fights back. As Patil prevents David from escaping, Zende and Carl exchange severe blows, as the wedding reception around them continues. Moving through the guests, the criminal and the cop continue to fight, and Zende temporarily finds it difficult to contain Carl. However, the situation changes when officers Jacob, Deshmane, Patekar, and Naik arrive at the scene. The team members rush to the aid of their leader, Zende, and work together to contain the dreaded criminal. The guests and the hotel staff are shocked at first to see the action unfolding in front of their eyes, but ultimately realize what is transpiring.
It is important to remember that if Zende had refused to trust his instincts and rushed to the docks instead, he may have inadvertently let Carl escape once again. The protagonist’s decisiveness, combined with the fortunate car troubles of the rest of the team, ensured that the Swimsuit Killer was captured in the nick of time. Despite his charm and fighting skills, Carl finds out that he cannot always escape, especially when the one chasing him refuses to budge.
How Does Zende Transfer Carl to Maharashtra?
After capturing Carl Bhojraj, Zende and his men face a new challenge, which is transporting the criminal away from the jurisdiction of the Goa Police and into the state of Maharashtra. However, they have no functional vehicle that can be used to carry out the task. Faced with this challenge, they find help unexpectedly. The bride and the groom from the wedding reception express happiness that Carl was caught at their wedding, and demand to get a photograph clicked with Zende and the team. The protagonist uses this opportunity cleverly and demands that he will agree to be clicked with them only if they let him use their decorated wedding vehicle to transport the criminal.
After posing for the camera, the team of cops takes the bride and groom’s “Matador” van and heads towards the Maharashtra border. However, Fonseca gets word from his superior officer that Zende and team are about to move away from Goa’s jurisdiction with Carl in their custody. Despite Naik and Deshmane handing over David Jones, Fonseca pursues the Matador. As the capturing team heads closer to the border, Carl tries to escape by claiming he needs to urinate by the side of the road, but Zende doesn’t allow him to do so. After containing the criminal, the team heads towards the border, but sees that it is barricaded.
Patil doesn’t find the courage to drive past the barricade, so the team gets down and begins to walk towards Maharashtra’s territory. However, Fonseca and his team arrive right on time. Zende tries to run towards the border, and so does Carl. In the ensuing chaos, Fonseca finds it difficult to contain so many men, following which the protagonist successfully manages to touch Maharashtra’s territory along with the criminal. The Goan cop tries to threaten the protagonist, but backs down when he sees an entire Group of Maharashtra Police descend on him, headed by DGP Purandare. Once it is confirmed that Carl is now firmly in his custody, the DGP congratulates Zende and his team, after which the main character also gives some credit to Fonseca and the Goa police. Carl is then successfully taken into Maharashtra’s territory, after Zende sarcastically bids him adieu.
Does Zende Reunite With Viju? Does He Become Popular?
Zende and his wife lead a happy marriage with a genuine connection. However, the wife is pushed to a state of constant panic after Zende accepts the mission to capture Carl. In a heartwarming moment, after successfully executing his mission, the protagonist returns home to Viju. Seeing him, the wife rushes towards the cop and hugs him deeply. She expresses relief that her husband is finally home safe and sound. She even asks him whether or not he had the chance to eat “Puran Poli,” a dessert that she had sent him. Zende also expresses joy after reuniting with his wife, whom he affectionately calls “Commissioner.” When asked by his partner about Carl’s fate, the inspector tells her to wait for the radio. She hands him a carton of empty bottles and asks him to get milk for the day.
People at the milk shop listen to the radio, wherein they find out that their neighborhood man, Zende, has captured one of the most dangerous criminals in the world. When they see Zende approach the shop, they proudly salute him using the filled milk cartons as a symbol of respect. The protagonist becomes a popular man due to his resolve and strong morals, which led him to success in his dangerous mission. This moment is hinted at by Carl earlier, who tells Zende that the manhunt will give him fame. Despite not craving fame or attention, Zende gets the respect and popularity he deserves, which also ends the narrative on a note of optimism and hope.
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