Akshay Shah’s 2023 documentary Zende uses retired Mumbai police officer Madhukar Zende’s association with serial killer Charles Sobhraj as a starting point, not the whole story. It broadens the frame to Zende’s long career, his work among Mumbai communities, and the city’s changing history of crime and policing.
What is the documentary Zende about?
Zende is a documentary written and directed by Akshay Shah. Jio MAMI’s 2023 catalogue describes it as a portrait of Zende, a retired assistant commissioner of police, whose experiences open onto four decades of Bombay history and crime. The festival synopsis calls the Sobhraj episode only a minor part of Zende’s colourful life. Jio MAMI’s catalogue identifies the film as Indian, produced by Dora Digs, with music by Sneha Khanwalkar.
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That wider scope is also central to Scroll’s account of the film: the captures that made Zende widely known are a “blip” in his professional life, rather than the measure of his entire career. Shah told Scroll, “The fascination began with Sobhraj like many others, but it ended the day I sat across Zende sir.”
What does the film show about Zende’s work beyond the Sobhraj case?
A career revisited through places and cases
According to Scroll, Shah takes Zende back to earlier homes and work locations, asking him to revisit his early years in the police force, the people who inspired him, and significant cases. The film’s structure follows Zende’s own recollections and perspective rather than treating the Sobhraj captures as the only episode worth exploring.
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Service in Dharavi and the 1992 riots
Scroll highlights Zende’s service in Dharavi and his efforts to defuse tense situations during Mumbai’s 1992 communal riots. The report presents the documentary as interested in people-facing policing and peace-keeping, in contrast to the popular image of police heroism centered on “encounter specialists.” That is a description of the film’s perspective as reported by Scroll, not a general verdict on policing.
Shah described Zende’s approach this way: “Zende runs a different school of thought – working with the people, peace-keeping.” Zende, meanwhile, told Scroll, “There’s nothing like a super cop. Everybody’s a cop.”
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How does Zende use archives and reconstruction?
The film includes archival material, among it a Marathi comic book about Zende. Shah told Scroll that the team spent at least two years searching archives and that he consulted Deepak Rao, who knew the police force and Mumbai history. Shah also said AI-generated images were used for some characters whose stories were beyond documentation. This describes a limited use for certain undocumented characters; it does not mean that all archival images or the film as a whole were AI-generated.
Shah told Scroll, “No script, no schedule – we just followed in his footsteps. No plan turned out to be the best plan.” Zende’s own response to continued attention to his most famous case was, “How long will you go on about it?” The remarks appear in Scroll’s report and should not be mistaken for verified film dialogue.
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How long is the documentary, and what languages is it in?
Catalogue listings disagree, so neither runtime nor language should be treated as settled without confirmation from the film’s rights holder. The two catalogues give these details:
| Source | Runtime | Languages listed |
|---|---|---|
| Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, 2023 catalogue | 79 minutes | English, Hindi, and Marathi |
| Film South Asia catalogue | 65 minutes | English and Hindi |
The discrepancy may reflect different catalogue records, but the available listings do not explain it. Jio MAMI lists the film as a 2023 Indian documentary, written and directed by Shah.
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Where can you watch Zende?
Current streaming availability and a physical release have not been established in the cited sources. Check the documentary’s official or festival listings for current screening information rather than assuming it is available on a particular platform.
What to read for more about Madhukar Zende
For a deeper account of his wider police career and criminal cases, a bookseller catalogue lists Mumbai’s Most Wanted: Madhukar Zende, attributed to Zende and published as a 2025 English-language Harper Non Fiction (India) edition. The listing gives ISBN 9789365691245 and 272 pages. It is a companion for readers who want more about his career, not a substitute for the documentary’s film portrait.
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