Detective Sherdil Review: Diljit Dosanjh’s Murder Mystery Is Full of Swag and Surprises!

Detective Sherdil Review: If you’ve been waiting for Bollywood to deliver a detective film that’s equal parts style, suspense, and sass, look no further Detective Sherdil has arrived. With Diljit Dosanjh at the helm, playing an eccentric sleuth wrapped in trench coats and charm, the film offers a quirky twist to the conventional murder mystery genre. And yes, from the opening frame, it commands your notice—not merely with its slick look and flashy characters, but with its unexpected emotional moments and socially conscious subtext.

Shot in Budapest and infused with comic book fantasy, this Ravi Chhabriya directorial is a greater challenge than your run-of-the-mill whodunit. It’s a fashion-forward mix of offbeat characters, stinging cinematography, and sardonic humor, with dashes of moments going from laugh-out-loud to tear-jerker. But does Detective Sherdil solve the mystery of being a great, memorable film, or does it trip over its own ambition?

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Meet Detective Sherdil: A Quirky Hero with a Legendary Past

Even before you lay eyes on Detective Sherdil (Diljit Dosanjh), you’ve heard about him—through stories, adoration, and a history that reads as if it’s straight from a childhood comic book. We’re quickly transplanted to Budapest, where the assassination of tycoon-turned-billionaire telecom baron Pankaj Bhatti (Boman Irani) gets things started. And what a theatrics-filled assassination it is—gunned down in broad daylight, on an empty street, with no CCTV cameras anywhere in view. Convenient? Perhaps. Intriguing? Absolutely.

Bhatti’s demise destroys his already dysfunctional family, consisting of his domineering wife Rajeshwari (Ratna Pathak Shah), quirky son Angad (Sumeet Vyas), daughter-in-law Elizabeth (Sarah Barlondo), and deaf and mute daughter Shanti (Banita Sandhu), who is the apple of his eye. There is also missing driver Jaipal and a curious character in the mix—Bhatti’s dog, Rabbit, who surprisingly inherits a portion of the loot.

Things get interesting when Sherdil is yanked out of the holiday mode and drawn into the investigation—half because of his own reputation and half because Natasha, an officer with her own poise and charm, asks specifically for his help, a request to which he agrees half-heartedly. Shabd, which begins as an innocuous murder case, soon spirals into an unexpected game, a convoluted story of betrayal, secret family history, and simmering resentments.

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Diljit Dosanjh as Detective Sherdil: Quirk, Charisma, and Control

It’s not possible to talk about Detective Sherdil without bringing Diljit Dosanjh’s pitch-perfect performance into the spotlight. As titular detective, he has the ideal blend of mischief, method, and magnetism. Sherdil isn’t your typical brooding sleuth—he’s eccentric, flamboyant, and unapologetically stylish. He plays a harmonica in tense scenes, puts up Instagram reels upon solving cases, and flirts with absurdity without losing the plot.

Diljit adds his signature comic timing and emotional depth to a role that might have otherwise been a caricature. Instead, he grounds the film with his restrained p, erformance, toggling between goofiness and gravity. It is his presence that keeps the film goingparticularly when the script goes off in tonally unpredictable directions.

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The Women Steal the Show: Ratna Pathak Shah, Diana Penty, and Banita Sandhu

While Sherdil could be the title character, the women of Detective Sherdil take away most of the major awards. Ratna Pathak Shah as Rajeshwari is a surprise—picture Maya Sarabhai with a little more teeth and strength, in regal attire and dictating each frame she occupies. She is elegant, she is angry, and she is strangely fragile, all at the same time.

Diana Penty, playing Natasha, carries a no-nonsense approach and gravitas. She is not given sufficient screen space, and her character could have benefited from further fleshing out, but Penty still makes an impact. Her subdued presence serves as a great foil to Sherdil’s showiness.

And then there’s Banita Sandhu as Shanti, the deaf and mute daughter. Sandhu speaks not a word, but her eyes tell a thousand. She made a mark before in October, where she played a subtle role, and here too, she’s poignantly expressive. There is power in her silence, and the emotional gravity she brings to the character makes the climax all the more tragic.

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A Murder Mystery With a Heart

Perhaps the most surprising asset of Detective Sherdil is its emotional center. Among the harmonica melodies, slapstick humor, and over-the-top character traits, the movie makes deft but profound comments on relationships—marriages under strain, children drifting away from parents, and the corrosive influence of wealth and inheritance.

The will-reading scene is a turning point: 10% each of Bhatti’s fortune goes to his brother-in-law Bodhi Mama (played hilariously by Chunky Panday) and his dog Rabbit, but a staggering 80% is willed to Purvak, a deaf and mute accountant and Shanti’s boyfriend—who is, of course, now missing.

This turn of events doesn’t merely advance the story—it illustrates the tenuousness of family bonds and the way feelings inevitably come into conflict with a sense of entitlement. The tension might propel the plot, but the drama provides it depth.

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Direction, Writing, and Tone: A Fashionable Balancing Act

Director Ravi Chhabriya, and writers Ali Abbas Zafar and Sagar Bajaj, attempt something ambitious: make a murder mystery also a satirical comedy, under the guise of a graphic novel appearance. It works wonders at times—the movie has a lighthearted rhythm, deadpan humor, and a look that’s edgy.

But there are stumbles too. The constant harmonica motif, while supposed to be a trademark tic for Sherdil, becomes repetitive and finally dissonant. Rather than increasing tension, it actually blunts dramatic moments.

The writing is at times guilty of tonal dissonance. Is it a spoof or a thriller? Sometimes, it’s like it’s trying too hard to do both. The effect is a movie that’s never dull but not always coherent.

Despite this, one must credit the audacity. Bollywood does not often try this genre hybrid, and Detective Sherdil has the courage to colour outside the lines.

Ensemble Cast: A Talent Pool That Deserved More

The supporting cast in Detective Sherdil is impressive on paper—Boman Irani, Sumeet Vyas, Chunky Panday, and more. Irani, though limited in screen time, shines with his dapper look and commanding voice. His murder kicks off the story, but his shadow looms throughout.

Sumeet Vyas, usually the boy-next-door, flips his image with a flamboyant portrayal of Angad, Bhatti’s son. He brings a manic energy that complements the film’s eccentric vibe.

Chunky Panday, as Bodhi Mama, is all flash and filminess. His persona hangs precariously in the realm of parody, but Panday goes all out, and thus he becomes one of the film’s pleasant surprises. And don’t forget Arjun Tanwar as Purvak—silent but deadly, he plays an important role in the emotional payoffs of the story.

Visual Style: Graphic Novel Meets Bollywood

If one thing Detective Sherdil gets to almost perfection, it’s the visual styling. The camerawork employs Dutch angles, jump cuts, and intense colours to produce a stylized universe that appears to have burst forth from a comic book. Budapest is transformed from mere setting into an atmospheric playground with shadowy alleys, gilded mansions, and suspicious side streets.

The transitions are slick, the editing crisp, and the production design detailed. Even the costumes reflect the characters—Sherdil’s trench coats and sunglasses scream swagger, while Rajeshwari’s traditional elegance contrasts the modern chaos around her. This strong visual identity gives the film a unique voice. It’s not gritty noir, nor is it campy slapstick—it sits somewhere in the stylish middle.

The Final Twist: Satisfying and Thematically Sound

Most thrillers fall apart in the third act, going for convenience rather than coherence. Fortunately, Detective Sherdil eschews that trap. The last turn, far from being groundbreaking, is emotionally impactful and thematically apt. It pays off the film’s most basic conflict—how families fall apart, how inheritance is the corruptor, and how silence always contains the loudest truths.

Unlike the disastrous conclusion of Neeraj Pandey’s Sikandar Ka Muqaddam, this one falls neatly. The twist doesn’t merely surprise—it makes you think.

Weak Spots: Underdeveloped Characters and Tonal Jitters

For all its strengths, Detective Sherdil has a few weaknesses too. The greatest complaint is in the underwhelming arcs of some major players—Natasha being the most notable among them. Diana Penty’s intimidating presence cries out for more complex writing. Instead, she’s reduced to a prop in Sherdil’s quest.

The movie also doesn’t do much with Sherdil’s investigative team, who appear and disappear throughout scenes without much point. Several side-plots are raised only to be quickly wrapped up or abandoned.

And then there’s the tonal incongruity. Sometimes the movie can’t decide whether to laugh or gasp—and does both nervously in the same scene.

A Flawed But Fascinating Whodunit

In a world where most Bollywood thrillers over-serious themselves or lapse into all-out farce, Detective Sherdil hits just the right middle ground. It’s chic, meta, and unexpectedly sentimental. Diljit Dosanjh invests it with charm and authority, and Ratna Pathak Shah and Banita Sandhu bring emotional depth. If this had had more narrative restraint and character investment, it would have been a near-perfect detective movie.

Yet, it’s an encouraging beginning to what could become a franchise. If the makers tighten up the tonal disconnects and avoid overplaying stylistic tics, there’s plenty of scope for more stories with Sherdil as the lead.

Because sometimes, all a whodunit requires is a detective with heart, humor, and a harmonica—properly wielded.

Final Rating: 3.5/5

Watch it on: Zee5