Detective Sherdil (2025) Movie ft. Boman, Diana, and Diljit

Detective Sherdil (2025) is a Hindi mystery‑comedy that tries to mix Christie‑style mansion intrigue with Punjabi humour and OTT pacing. Diljit Dosanjh leads as Sherdil, a small‑town sleuth with more attitude than discipline, while Diana Penty and Boman Irani circle him as ally and victim in a whodunnit set in wintry Budapest.

The setup is juicy: an Indian‑origin telecom tycoon drops dead in his palatial European home, and the reading of the will turns his already strange family into a pack of suspects overnight. On paper, it’s the perfect playground for a sharp, playful detective story.

Story, setup and tone

The film opens with Pankaj Bhatti’s lavish anniversary party dissolving into chaos when he is found murdered in a locked section of his estate. Local cops are happy to close it as a hate crime, but a mix of political pressure and family doubt forces the case into private‑investigator territory.

Enter Sherdil, who arrives in Budapest with Natasha, a sharply observant fixer who becomes his partner and frequent punchline‑corrector. Their job is simple but nearly impossible: figure out which of the many people who hated Bhatti actually killed him, and why.

Tonally, the movie keeps swerving between genuine suspense and pure spoof. One minute you’re watching a threatening confrontation in a snow‑covered courtyard; the next you’re in a full‑blown comic set‑piece about language barriers or strange European breakfasts. That constant pivot is both its selling point and its biggest risk.

Performances and characters

Diljit plays Sherdil like a man who knows he’s the most interesting person in every room. He leans into physical comedy , awkward slips, exaggerated reactions, confident struts , but also gets a few quieter beats where his brain clearly runs faster than his mouth. When the script lets him, he sells the idea of a detective who hides razor‑sharp instincts behind a goofy exterior.

Diana’s Natasha is less slapstick, more dry wit. She catches details Sherdil ignores, translates both languages and emotions, and occasionally calls out his theatrics. Their chemistry is easy, almost old‑school: light bickering, slow warmth, a sense that they’ve both seen enough nonsense to not be easily impressed.

Boman Irani, mostly present in flashbacks and video clips as Pankaj Bhatti, plays him as the kind of man who smiles generously and ruins lives on email. Even in limited screen time, he gives you enough shades , affectionate father, ruthless boss, guilty husband , to make it believable that half the guest list might want him dead.

The Bhatti clan and hangers‑on , a spiritual “uncle” with suspicious timing, a sharp‑tongued matriarch, a seemingly harmless daughter, business partners with too many secrets , fill out the suspect pool with broad but entertaining strokes.

Direction, writing and craft

Ravi Chhabriya keeps things visually slick: wide aerials of Budapest, tasteful interiors, warm lighting during family flashbacks and colder palettes once the investigation starts peeling away pretence. The film looks more like a glossy streaming thriller than a scrappy Bollywood comedy.

Writing‑wise, the structure is classic: interviews, red herrings, a mid‑point revelation, a twist about the will, and a final “gather everyone in the drawing room” explanation. The difference is in the tone. Instead of playing it straight, the script frequently undercuts serious moments with gags , some clever, some forced.

A key strength is how clues are scattered: throwaway lines about investments, awkward glances during interrogations, one character’s obsession with CCTV angles , these details do add up if you’re paying attention. The problem is that the jokes often arrive at the same time, distracting you from tracking the mystery.

The background score leans playful, almost cartoonish in places, which further pushes the film toward comedy rather than taut thriller.

What works

• Diljit’s presence keeps things lively even when the plotting stumbles. He’s comfortable enough on screen that you don’t mind following him through dead ends.
• The Budapest setting feels fresh for a Hindi whodunnit. Snow, trams, narrow lanes and foreign cops give the film a distinct flavour instead of yet another Mumbai‑only backdrop.
• The suspect list is genuinely fun: spiritual gurus, fake well‑wishers, bitter relatives, ambitious executives. You never forget that nearly all of them benefited from Bhatti being alive and might benefit more from him gone.
• The final reveal, while not mind‑blowing, does tie back to early clues in a way that feels reasonably fair.

Where it falls short

The biggest issue is balance. By treating almost everything as an opportunity for a gag, the film drains urgency from the murder itself. You rarely feel the weight of a man having died violently; it often plays like a game Sherdil is enjoying more than a case that genuinely challenges or disturbs him.

Some twists feel undercooked. Motives that should have been explored in depth , long‑buried scams, emotional betrayals , are often rushed through in dialogue dumps near the end. That robs a couple of characters of the complexity they deserved.

Pacing is another problem: the middle section spends too much time on comedic detours that don’t meaningfully move the investigation forward. For mystery fans who enjoy tight plotting, this will feel loose and occasionally careless.

Audience connect and appeal

Detective Sherdil is built primarily for viewers who want a light weekend watch: familiar faces, pretty locations, some laughs and a mystery that isn’t too hard to follow. If you like Diljit in charm‑mode and don’t demand airtight logic from a whodunnit, it delivers passable entertainment.

For hardcore mystery lovers, though, the film will likely feel like a missed opportunity. The ingredients for a genuinely gripping locked‑circle thriller are here, but the constant need to keep things goofy undercuts the tension.

Overall verdict

Detective Sherdil (2025) is an easy‑to‑watch, somewhat messy murder mystery that leans more on its star’s likability than on sharp writing. It has moments of genuine fun, a strong supporting cast and a decent central puzzle, but it never quite commits to being either a full‑blooded thriller or a fearless parody.

If you’re fine with a softer, joke‑heavy whodunnit to stream at home, it’s serviceable. If you were hoping for a clever, tightly wound detective story that stays with you after the credits, this one will feel lighter than its premise promises.

Rating: 3.0/5