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Charles Sobhraj, infamously known as the ‘Bikini Killer’, gained notoriety not only for his string of murders but also for his audacious jail escapes. However, he was captured not once, but twice, by Inspector Madhukar Zende. Now, a film based on Zende’s real-life capture of Sobhraj is set to release on Netflix, with actor Manoj Bajpayee portraying the veteran police officer. In a recently released promotional unit by the streaming platform, the real-life Inspector Zende met Manoj Bajpayee and recounted the thrilling manhunt that led to Sobhraj’s arrest.
In the same conversation, Zende shared how his fame skyrocketed after apprehending Sobhraj, to the point where even then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi wanted to meet him. Recalling the encounter, he said: “I was standing at the Borivali junction for security arrangements, so when he (Rajiv Gandhi) saw [me], he told his driver to stop the car. ‘I want to meet him,’ [he said]. The security officer told him, ‘Sir, not here.’ But then everyone knows that once even the Prime Minister had stopped his car to meet Zende. The next day, he called me and congratulated me; it was his goodness.”
The upcoming film, releasing this Friday, also stars Jim Sarbh as Carl Bhojraj, a character inspired by the serial killer Charles Sobhraj. It is written and directed by Chinmay Mandlekar. This isn’t the first time Inspector Zende’s life has been portrayed on screen. His exploits inspired Akshay Shah’s 2023 documentary Zende, which premiered at the Mumbai Film Festival and earned acclaim for its flamboyant storytelling.
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