Detective Sherdil kicks off with a swaggering rap sequence, positioning its protagonist—played by Diljit Dosanjh—as a slick, social media-savvy sleuth who boasts he’s better than Sherlock and Bakshi. It’s a bold claim, but one that quickly deflates as the film substitutes real intrigue with surface-level showmanship.
Fresh off busting a Budapest kidnapping ring (where no one inexplicably speaks Hungarian), Sherdil is forced to cut his vacation short to solve the murder of telecom tycoon Pankaj Bhatti (Boman Irani), whose car was blown up in a high-profile highway assassination. The assassin is caught, but the mystery remains: who orchestrated the hit?
Dosanjh plays the titular detective with his signature charm and comedic flair, complete with a gold-plated harmonica he uses for both dramatic effect and as a deduction prop (yes, really). But while the film aims for cool detective energy, it ends up feeling hollow. Sherdil lacks the depth of a true investigator—his antics feel more TikTok than true crime.
The supporting cast—including Boman Irani, Denzil Smith, Hiten Vyas, and Ankita Bhatt—do what’s expected of them, nothing more. Diana Penty, as Sherdil’s co-investigator Natasha, deserves credit for holding her own in a scene opposite the formidable Ratna Pathak Shah, whose icy presence continues to command the screen.
Ultimately, Detective Sherdil tries to marry stylized comedy with detective drama, but never quite commits to either. The voiceovers hint at introspection but reveal little. It’s all flash, no mystery—and even the flair wears thin.
Verdict: Watch if you’re a Diljit Dosanjh fan or looking for breezy crime-lite, but if you’re hoping for a clever whodunit, Sherdil misses the mark.
