Detective Sherdil

Detective Sherdil (2025) : Movie Review -

Detective Sherdil is a regular whodunnit thriller, but only in the beginning. Soon, before you can even get involved with the murder mystery, it reveals that it isn't a whodunnit drama at all, but a howdunnit mystery. After watching thousands of classic murder thrillers, with almost nothing new left to explore, you can't really expect classic twists anymore. These days, either you make everyone a suspect, or build the narrative around how the murder was executed. The suspense around "who is the killer?" has grown dated-so here comes a fresh angle. Detective Sherdil tries this, but in the wrong tone. It goes the spoof route and adopts a comical style, which keeps you away from the seriousness of the murder plot, ultimately hurting the experience.

The story begins with Mr. Sherdil (Diljit Dosanjh), claimed to be the best detective in the force, who takes up the curious murder case of a billionaire, Pankaj Bhatti (Boman Irani). After his sudden death, the will is revealed, awarding most of his wealth to a dog and two outsiders-leaving the family shocked. Sherdil, joined by Natasha (Diana Penty) and his assistant, gets to work. The prime suspect is Purvak (Arjun Tanwar), the mute and deaf lover of Pankaj's equally mute and deaf daughter, Shanti Bhatti (Banita Sandhu). Everyone points fingers at Purvak, trying to convince Sherdil, but is he really the killer? The answer, of course, is no. So who is the actual culprit?

More than who the killer is, this film is about how it was done. Movie buffs have been second-guessing murder mysteries for decades-some guess right, some wrong-so novelty is lacking. Detective Sherdil tries to bring that novelty, but at what cost? The mystery build-up gets spoiled by childish humour and a spoof-like execution. While Sherdil's dialogues are written cleverly-at least on paper-the overall execution lacks quality. The characters and the environment lack the seriousness that a murder mystery demands, making it difficult to connect. Thankfully, it doesn't overstay its welcome. With a short runtime and a fast-paced screenplay, you quickly exit this cartoonish setup.

Diljit Dosanjh enjoys the screen time and plays his part with energy. From a comedy standpoint, he does well, but as a detective, supposedly the best in business, it's a weak show. Diana Penty looks charming, but her role isn't meaty enough to make a mark. Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak Shah bring seniority to roles that didn't need it. Banita Sandhu is strictly average. Chunky Panday remains calm and subtle, while Sumeet Vyas is decent. Sarah Barlondo and Kashmira Irani provide fair support, and the rest of the cast does what's required without much impact.

Clocking a little over 100 minutes, Detective Sherdil doesn't exactly bore. But technically, there's not much to praise either. Cinematography and sound design stay average. The mouth organ used by Sherdil to set the mood feels odd and unnecessary. The production design needs no special mention either, as the film is mostly shot in a couple of locations. It's minimal and simple. Director Ravi Chhabriya should've struck a better tonal balance. The sarcasm and humour are overdone, while the actual mystery feels underplayed. Had the mystery been a little stronger and the humour toned down, the film might have worked better. For now, it lands somewhere between a light parody and an animated spoof-far from a gripping whodunnit.

RATING - 4/10*

As a Diljit fan, I had to watch this movie.

The film boasted great performances from Diljit, Boman, and Ratna, their acting truly carried the film. Diljit brought his usual charm to the screen with his light-hearted, witty character, and Boman added his usual flair of brilliance. It was nice to see Chunky Pandey in this movie - he brought 5 minutes of entertainment to the film, but otherwise his role was not needed. Unfortunately, the rest of the actors' performances were average, as their characters just weren't strong enough, a partial fault in direction, I think.

While the story did eventually come together, despite being a bit unrealistic, it wasn't the best storyline and certainly could have been better.

The journey there felt tiresome, the pacing was pretty slow, and some parts were unfortunately predictable.

It's a real shame because with tighter editing and a sharper script, this could have been a much more engaging watch.

The movie is a complete letdown. There's no proper story, no emotional depth, and not a single moment of genuine comedy. It feels like a random sequence of scenes stitched together with no clear direction or purpose. The characters lack development, the dialogues are dull, and the entire film struggles to keep the audience engaged. Even the attempts at humor fall flat, making the experience tiresome rather than entertaining. It's hard to stay invested when there's nothing to connect with - no plot, no message, and no memorable performances. It's disappointing how much potential was wasted in trying to do everything but ending up doing nothing. If you're expecting entertainment, drama, or even a few good laughs, this film offers none. Just a drag from start to finish. Save your time and skip this one.

Detective Sherdil, starring the ever-charismatic Diljit Dosanjh, had all the ingredients for a quirky, offbeat detective caper-but sadly, it ends up being an overcooked mess. The film struggles so much with its identity that it feels like the director wasn't sure whether they were making a Hindi comedy, a Punjabi slapstick, or a serious detective thriller-and in the process, they've failed at all three.

Diljit, as always, brings charm and likability to the screen, but even he can't salvage a script that's all over the place. The humor flips awkwardly between exaggerated regional jokes and forced Bollywood-style punchlines. This tonal confusion not only breaks the pacing but also disconnects the viewer from whatever emotional or narrative stakes the film tries to establish.

The detective aspect-promised in the title-barely holds up. Any hint of suspense or mystery is drowned out by comic skits that feel more like outtakes from a Punjabi stage show than elements of a cohesive plot. Scenes that should build intrigue instead derail into gimmicky distractions.

There are moments where you can almost see the potential-clever dialogues here, an interesting clue there-but those moments vanish quickly under the weight of genre confusion. It's as if the director kept switching hats mid-scene: now a detective movie, now a desi comedy, now something else entirely.

Detective Sherdil ultimately feels like a missed opportunity. It had the star power, the premise, and the cultural flair to stand out. But with no clear direction, it ends up being a chaotic mix that satisfies neither fans of mysteries nor those looking for a solid laugh. For all its noise and energy, it lacks clarity and purpose. Proceed only if you're a hardcore Diljit fan-or very, very curious.

In the realm of literature detective story generates special interest. The venture to unveil the covered one always has a special appeal among the audience of all age groups. After all, who can ignore anything compelling to bite nail out of suspense?

The Movie Detective Shergill is another effort to make Celluloid portrayal of a detective story. Naturally, much was expected from the movie. But unfortunately, it has disappointed. The flaw seems to be too much experimentation. The storyline is straight forward. But it lacks certain important aspects. Rather, there seems certain elements which are contrary to such movie. Significantly, it is a boring narrative altogether and fails to hook the attention. Secondly, the element of surprise is missing. It is hard to understand why the Movie is so lengthy. Importantly, if one asks about the length of a detective story, it means nothing but worthlessness.

There are too many unnecessary characters in this Movie. The repeated use mouth organ makes things more boring. The way truth gets unveiled in this Movie doesn't sound convincing. Characters are also dull. It will be wrong to call it a detective movie despite named so. Not recommended obviously.