Director: Chinmay Mandlekar
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Jim Sarbh, Bhalchandra Kadam, Sachin Khedekar, Girija Oak
Inspector Zende is a 2025 Indian crime film directed by Chinmay Mandlekar, set in Mumbai and following a determined police inspector locked in a high-stakes pursuit of an escaped serial killer. Starring Manoj Bajpayee and Jim Sarbh, the film delivers a gritty procedural chase across one of the world's most densely populated cities.
What is Inspector Zende about?
When a dangerous serial killer named Carl Bhojraj breaks free from custody, the streets of Mumbai become a hunting ground once more. Inspector Zende, the only officer who understands how Bhojraj thinks, is pulled back into a relentless manhunt that stretches across the city's labyrinthine neighbourhoods. As the investigation intensifies, Zende must outmanoeuvre a calculating adversary who has already slipped through the system once. With the city's safety hanging in the balance, the film builds steadily toward a tense confrontation — testing the limits of law, instinct, and personal cost.
Cast & crew
Manoj Bajpayee, one of Hindi cinema's most decorated character actors, anchors the film as Inspector Zende — bringing his signature quiet intensity to a methodical, morally complex role. Jim Sarbh plays the antagonist Carl Bhojraj, channelling the unsettling charisma he has become known for. The supporting ensemble includes Sachin Khedekar, Girija Oak, Bhalchandra Kadam, and Harish Dudhade, all veteran Marathi and Hindi screen performers.
Context & significance
Bollywood crime procedurals have long attracted Persian-speaking audiences across the diaspora, particularly those who grew up watching Hindi films dubbed into Persian. Inspector Zende continues this tradition with a tight cat-and-mouse structure reminiscent of the gritty thriller genre that peaked in the 1990s and has since been revived with grittier, more realistic production values. The film is available on K-Time with a full Persian dub, making it immediately accessible for viewers who prefer to watch without subtitles. For diaspora viewers, the Mumbai setting — familiar from decades of Bollywood — provides an inviting backdrop to a lean, engaging crime story.
Where & how to watch
Inspector Zende is available on K-Time with Persian dub and Persian subtitles. Stream it on the web at ktime.app, or on your TV and phone via the K-Time app — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. Start your plan and cancel anytime.