‘Detective Sherdil’ (2025) Movie Review - Even Diljit Dosanjh Cannot Save This Dull Mystery Comedy

A wealthy businessman, Pankaj Bhatti (Boman Irani), is murdered on the road by a man on a bike. Who is this mysterious assailant? Did he have a personal connection with Pankaj, or was he hired by someone else? The suspects, obviously, turn out to be the members of the Bhatti family. There is Rajeshwari (Ratna Pathak Shah), Pankaj's wife, who constantly pouts and looks angry. Her son, Angad (Sumeet Vyas), wears the same expression, making it unnecessary to confirm their biological relationship with a DNA test. Then there is Shanti (Banita Sandhu), who is both mute and deaf. Interestingly, there are two more mute and deaf characters in the film. One of them happens to be Purvak (Arjun Tanwar), Shanti's boyfriend. But look at poor Shanti; she is given this name due to her disability. It seems Pankaj did have a cruel sense of humor. He might not have been as sweet and innocent as the flashbacks present him after all. But jokes aside, why did writer-director Ravi Chhabriya choose to create characters who are both mute and deaf? Why not have them be either mute or deaf? Perhaps Chhabria was too focused on crafting twists within the plot to pay attention to this point. He's so busy fussing over the "logic" behind the crime that he neglects his characters, turning them into suspicious-looking chess pieces. They are just suspects. Even the maid (Kashmira Irani) looks untrustworthy - she seems to be hiding a secret. 

What does one expect from a movie like Detective Sherdil? Terrific suspense? Yes. Mind-blowing reveal? Why not? A superb set of actors? Of course. An edge-of-your-seat experience? Duh. Detective Sherdil, however, manages to satisfy only one of these requirements: It features an excellent set of actors. The real tragedy, though, is the sheer waste of talent. No one seems to be having fun. The actors regurgitate their lines, and their actions are dictated by the plot. It's a stifling film—joyless, wooden, dull. The most egregious crime committed here is that Chhabriya fails to inject any humor into a movie starring Diljit Dosanjh. Dosanjh is naturally charming and effervescent. Chhabriya should have just let him loose on the crowd. Instead, he is reduced to a mouthpiece, often delivering what are meant to be "quirky" descriptions. The director drags the actor down to his own mediocre standard. As the titular detective, Dosanjh is so bland that his smile does the heavy lifting here. I wish someone had destroyed Sherdil's mouth organ - it looks ridiculous, and it doesn't work. The greatest mystery in Detective Sherdil is not who killed Pankaj; rather, I wanted to know how Shanti managed to understand conversations that occurred without the use of sign language. There is another mystery that's left unsolved: What happened to Diana Penty's performance? Where is that actor who, in Cocktail, managed to hold her own against Deepika Padukone? If Detective Sherdil teaches us anything, it's that actors should collaborate with filmmakers who can bring out the best in them. At the risk of sounding like Pankaj, I will just say that they shouldn't sign on to a film just for the paycheck. Money shouldn't be the sole motivation — it not only spoils relationships; it can also trap you in an environment that undermines your potential.

Final Score- [1.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times