Diljit Dosanjh and Diana Penty's much-anticipated crime thriller, Detective Sherdil, has finally been released on OTT. The film features Diljit Dosanjh as a social media-influenced detective who tries to unravel a high-profile murder case.
- Title: Detective Sherdil
- Rating: 2/5
- Cast: Diljit Dosanjh, Diana Penty, Ratna Pathak Shah, Boman Irani, Sumit Vyas, Banita Sandhu, Chunky Pandey
- Director: Ravi Chabria
- Release Date: Jun 20, 2025
- Platform: Zee5
- Language: Hindi
- Budget: N/A
Entertainment: The much-awaited Diljit Dosanjh and Diana Penty starrer, Detective Sherdil, was released on June 20th on the OTT platform Zee5. Fans were excited about the film, especially because it was a murder mystery and Diljit was portraying a detective. However, unfortunately, the film failed to meet audience expectations.
The film neither delivered the thrill of a murder mystery nor offered any suspense to keep viewers engaged. Overall, Detective Sherdil got bogged down in its social media image and stylish presentation.
Budapest Setting and Sherdil's Entrance
The film begins in Budapest, where Sherdil (Diljit Dosanjh) is established as a renowned detective. He solves each case in his own unique style and then proceeds to create Instagram reels. The police are reliant on his help in every case. Everything is going smoothly until the murder of Pankaj Bhatti (Boman Irani), a prominent businessman, occurs. ACP Natasha (Diana Penty) takes charge of the case and seeks Sherdil's assistance in solving it.
Lack of Depth in the Story, Mystery Without Suspense
The film's plot sounds interesting, but the screenplay and script have so many flaws that this interest dissipates within minutes. The audience quickly guesses the potential killer, rendering the entire concept of suspense and mystery pointless. The film's writer-director, (the original text doesn't name the writer-director here, so it's omitted), attempted to make the film fast-paced and stylish, but in doing so, the fundamental requirements of the murder mystery genre were lost.
The film lacks emotional depth in the characters and any surprising twists. The dialogues are extremely commonplace and ineffective. One dialogue goes – "A good detective isn't one who finds the right key, a good detective is one who finds the right lock." While this might sound clever, the entire film's narrative gets lost in this very confusion. The director focused excessively on style and background music compared to the experience, which clearly impacts the narrative.
Weak Performances and Incomplete Characters
Diljit Dosanjh appears in his usual familiar style. There's no freshness in his acting, which prevents depth in his detective character. Diana Penty's character, Natasha, is also extremely incomplete and confusing. Despite being a police officer, neither her position nor her relationship with Sherdil is clearly depicted.
Veteran actors like Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak Shah also suffered from limited screen time and a weak script. Meanwhile, young actors like Sumit Vyas and Banita Sandhu also failed to salvage the film. Chunky Pandey's character is so unclear that understanding his role requires a second viewing.
