“Detective Sherdil” Movie Review: A Flat Mystery That Fails to Match Diljit Dosanjh’s Star Power

Introduction
ZEE5’s Detective Sherdil, directed by Ravi Chhabriya, attempts to blend mystery with quirky style and star charisma. Unfortunately, it ends up delivering a muddled, surface-level experience. With Diljit Dosanjh in the lead, the film had the ingredients to be an entertaining whodunit, but falters in execution, leaving behind a forgettable trail.

🎬 A Star Vehicle That Goes Nowhere

Diljit Dosanjh, known for his magnetic presence and vibrant music, feels painfully underused in Detective Sherdil. While the character enters with flair — black jacket, lion insignia, rap music blaring — what follows is not a thrilling detective escapade but a limp narrative lacking substance.

Sherdil is framed as a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Byomkesh Bakshi, but in practice, he lands somewhere in a void — not smart enough to intrigue, not silly enough to entertain. Diljit’s charm is dulled by generic dialogues and an unclear character arc. Even his signature Punjabi humour and musical swag are barely present.

🕵️‍♂️ The Mystery That Never Grips

The case? Rich businessman Pankaj Bhatti (Boman Irani) is gunned down. A typical inheritance angle emerges involving his son, daughter-in-law, and missing individuals. The film promises complexity but delivers clichés.

There are no smart twists, no genuine suspense — just a checklist of typical murder-mystery tropes. It lacks bite, and even the stakes feel lukewarm. The mystery never lets the audience play along or feel invested.

🎞️ Stylish But Superficial Filmmaking

Ravi Chhabriya, who also edited the film, goes overboard with stylistic flair — match cuts, transitions, and EDM soundtracks abound. But all this visual noise does little to elevate the story. In fact, it becomes distracting and tiresome, compensating for a script that doesn’t hold its own.

Diljit’s voiceover, though spirited, appears inconsistently and can’t make up for the film’s lack of personality. The direction seems more concerned with looking cool than building narrative tension or character depth.

🎭 A Wasted Ensemble

Despite a strong supporting cast — Ratna Pathak Shah, Boman Irani, Chunky Panday, Sumeet Vyas, and Banita Sandhu — nobody leaves a mark. Their characters exist only to serve the plot, devoid of any memorable moments or dynamics. Even Sherdil himself feels like an afterthought in his own story.

There’s a huge missed opportunity in not exploring a character more aligned with Diljit’s real-world persona — a street-smart musician-turned-sleuth, full of beats, banter, and bravado. That could have made for a fun, original film. Instead, we get a watered-down lead in a movie that forgets what makes its star shine.

⭐ Verdict: 2/5 — Misses the Beat and the Mystery

Detective Sherdil could’ve been an exciting, stylish, and culturally unique detective film — especially with Diljit Dosanjh at the center. But a confused script, half-hearted performances, and overstylized direction render it dull and disappointing.