From Kareena Kapoor Khan’s ‘cop who wears lipstick’ in Daayra to Rani Mukerji’s relentless Shivani Shivaji Rao in the Mardaani series, Bollywood has seen a rise in powerful and nuanced portrayals of female police officers tackling brutal crimes and societal challenges.
Key Points
- Kareena Kapoor Khan’s role as DCP Ajooni Kohli in Daayra is highlighted as a nuanced portrayal of a cop, described as ‘a cop who wears lipstick.’
- Rani Mukerji’s Shivani Shivaji Rao in the Mardaani series is celebrated for her persistent pursuit of justice in human trafficking and crimes against women.
- Shefali Shah’s Vartika Chaturvedi in Delhi Crime is lauded for her shrewdness and sensitivity in investigating severe crimes over three seasons.
Playing an investigative cop at the fore of a brutal, bloody mystery was claustrophobic for Kareena Kapoor Khan in Meghana Gulzar’s Daayra, which is inspired by true events and addresses the polarising responses to justice seeking.
But instead of approaching it the rough and tough way, she describes her DCP Ajooni Kohli as ‘a cop who wears lipstick’.
May her tribe increase.
Meanwhile, Sukanya Verma looks at some of the best portrayals of probing actresses in police procedurals on silver screen and small.
Kareena Kapoor Khan, The Buckingham Murders
Bebo’s melancholy and gravitas as an Indian origin British cop Jasmeet Bhamra reveals two sides to her persona — a grieving mother still coping from the loss of her only child and a detective at the helm of a missing child case.
How her personal plays with her professional until she gets to the bottom of the murky truth provides emotional insights in Hansal Mehta’s England-set film.
Nimisha Sajayan, Babita Singh Reporting
The inimitable Nimisha Sajayan gained over 10 kilos for the titular policewoman struggling to find her voice in Babita Singh Reporting.
Juggling domestic expectations, workplace manipulations and an unstoppable will to solve the mystery behind a childhood friend’s sudden death in a constant cloud of patriarchy, Nimisha’s slow-burn strength as Babita comes into her own is a showcase of her raw, remarkable talent.
Raveena Tandon, Aranyak
Raveena Tandon’s feisty aura is a perfect match for Kasturi Dogra, a cop on the brink of sabbatical when a hill station tourist murder mystery engulfs the quaint town and challenges her to share the burden with her substitute.
Over the course of her gifted investigative instincts and dysfunctional personal life, Aranyak‘s stunning storytelling finds an inspiring heroine.
Shefali Shah, Delhi Crime
You can tell the popularity of a character when it’s lasted three memorable seasons.
From DCP to DIG, Shefali Shah as Vartika Chaturvedi is the epitome of a no-frills cop probing into severe, serious crimes like rape, senior citizen murders and human trafficking with shrewdness as well as sensitivity.
Sonakshi Sinha, Dahaad
There’s nothing glamorous about Sonakshi Sinha’s clean-cut authority as policewoman Anjali Bhaati hot on the trail of a serial killer in Rajasthan.
At home, her worth is reduced to finding a suitor for marriage but at work she is indispensable for her sharp instincts and daredevil inquiries even when her caste becomes the source of distress for some bigoted colleagues.
Sanya Malhotra, Kathal
As Inspector Mahima Basor, Sanya Malhotra uses her natural charms to steer through the satirical energy of Kathal‘s missing jackfruits mystery.
Suffering fools left, right and centre against a small town milieu, she quietly highlights the misogyny and casteism at play.
Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Saloni Batra, Soni
Two lady cops functioning through an unsafe Delhi environment while grappling with their own share of patriarchy at home, the deep friendship between Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Saloni Batra forms the core of Soni.
Despite their classic differences in character — one’s calm, collected and tactful, the other is raging with impulses — it’s the greater understanding that dawns upon them about the unjust world and gives depth to their connection.
Priyanka Chopra, Jai GangaaJal
As newly appointed Superintendent of Police Abha Mathur, Priyanka Chopra has a hard time rein in corrupt politicians exploiting the poor for profit as well as colleagues refusing to cooperate.
Employing her action prowess to good effect, PC shows feminine fury at its vigorous most through lathi charges and gun firing mojo.
Tabu, Drishyam, Drishyam 2
Nothing comes close to the Malayalam original but Tabu’s duality as a mourning mother and violent cop looking for vendetta masquerading as justice, every time she frustratingly faces off ‘not guilty until proven’ Ajay Devgn, is alone worth the price of admission.
IG Meera Deshmukh is a badass and knows it. And Drishyam 3 promises no lenience for Devgn’s outwitting father.
Bhumi Pednekar, Daldal
Women of substance in meaty, central roles is a Bhumi Pednekar speciality, one that she fully explores in Daldal as Mumbai crime branch’s youngest DCP Reita Ferreira.
Her skills are truly tested when serial killer chase and childhood trauma collide over a series of gruesome crime scenes and grisly retaliation.
Shahana Goswami, Santosh
Despite international accolades, Santosh could not pass India’s censor test and was not made available to its audience. Nevertheless, Shahana Goswami’s authentic turn as the titular woman in khaki makes for a stirring viewing.
Thrown in a cynical police procedural without really wanting to, a woman steps into the role of a cop — a job thrust upon her on compassionate grounds following her husband’s demise — expands her worldview from housewife to one bursting with caste, communal and gender bias.
Radhika Apte, Monica, O My Darling
Few lady cop portrayals are as humorously irreverent and delightfully shady as Radhika Apte’s ACP Naidu in Vasan Bala’s black comedy.
The way her quirky one-liners fire in on Monica, O My Darling‘s mix of mood, murder and conspiracies makes her a standout screen cop for the ages.
Karisma Kapoor, Brown
Brown reminds us why Lolo needs to take on more work.
Her impassive attitude, worn-out demeanour and career as Kolkata-based cop Rita Brown plagued with alcoholic issues investigating a teenager’s murder is rife with characterisation, which immerses itself in the messiness of it all with surprising emotional abandon.
Rani Mukerji, Mardaani movies
Twelve years, three Mardani movies, the might of Rani Mukerji is fittingly asserted as Shivani Shivaji Rao.
Persistently hunting down wicked men and women engaged in a human trafficking business or crimes committed on women, Rani’s masculine take on feminine ferocity hits all the right notes every time she goes threatening like ‘Dekh be under 19 ke 12th man, Pyaari ko tere ghar se lekar jaaongi.’
Mona Singh, Kohraa Season 2
In the second season of the fascinatingly atmospheric murky police procedural set in the Punjab heartland, Barun Sobti’s Garundi returns to partner with commanding officer Mona Singh’s Dhanwant Kaur.
The sheer emotionality she lends to her grief-stricken character while going about her job with all her fight and fury intact underscores her as one of the best in the business.
Konkona Sensharma, Akira
Heavily influenced by Frances McDormand’s pregnant cop avatar in Fargo, Konkona gives her own spin to the sari-clad SP Rabiya Sultan putting the pieces of a young woman’s murder together over the course of Sonakshi Sinha’s action heroine antics in and as Akira.
A remake of the Tamil hit Mouna Guru, Akira bombed at the box office.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
