From Vidya Balan To Tabu, 7 Times Women Played Badass Cops And Won Our Hearts

It’s good to see when Bollywood attempts to portray female characters that are fierce and strong. Gone are the days when the audience will approve of women characters as abla naris or as props to glorify the hero’s character.

Though Bollywood has a long way to go to show us some unproblematic or rather meaningful cinema, here are some women cop characters we absolutely loved to watch on our screens.

1. Vidya Balan: Sherni

Playing strong female characters is a pattern Vidya always follows. Sherni directed by Amit V. Masurkar is inspired by the real-life story of Tigress Avni. The character of IFS officer Vidya Vincent played by Vidya Balan, is the heart of the film. We see officer Vincent not only solving the case of man-eating tigress but also fighting misogyny and patriarchy inflicted in our society.

2. Rajshri Deshpande: The Fame Game

Rajshri Deshpande essayed the role of cop Shobha Trivedi in Netflix’s latest The Fame Game. The police officer struggles with the sexist system and yet gloriously solves Anamika Anand’s case. It also captures the plight of a homosexual relationship in our society and how Shobha along with her partner, fight for it.

3. Shefali Shah: Delhi Crime

Shefali Shah is undoubtedly one of the most talented female actresses we have. The Netflix series Delhi Crime is based on the Nirbhaya gang-rape case. The character of Vartika Chaturvedi, played by Shefali Shah, feels authentic and intense. What’s intriguing is to see the lengths Delhi Police led by Vartika Chaturvedi go to find the perpetrators. It is indeed one of the most powerful performances given by Shefali Shah.

4. Tabu: Drishyam

The aura Tabu creates on our screens hits differently every time. So when Tabu donned the female cop uniform to play IG Meera Deshmukh we knew she would steal the show. Her journey to unmask the truth of her missing son keeps you on edge of the seat.

5. Rani Mukherjee: Mardaani

Directed by Pradeep Sarkar, the plotline of the film revolves around the human trafficking of girls. The character of Shivani Shivaji Roy, played by Rani Mukherjee, investigates the kidnapping of these girls and provides them with justice. Seeing Rani performing action scenes in the flick, we wish to see her in more such roles.

6. Raveena Tandon: Aranyak

Raveena marked her OTT debut with the Netflix series Aranyak. She plays Kasturi Dogra, a hard-nosed small-town cop who investigates the puzzling murders in the forest of a Himalayan town.

7. Neha Dhupia: A Thursday

Neha Dhupia is featured as a pregnant police officer in the flick. It follows the story of a kindergarten teacher (Yami Gautam) who takes her students hostage and demands to meet the Prime Minister. Neha essays the role of ACP Catherine Alvarez, who plays the tough cop to foil the kidnapper’s plan. It is reported that Neha was 8-months- pregnant while shooting the film.