Radhika Apte, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta: 5 strong female cop characters of OTT

Since the advent of OTT and online streaming platforms, filmmakers and storytellers have made a conscious effort to tell more women-fronted stories where she is not just a prop or a stereotypical damsel in distress. But she is presented as someone who is strong, sensible, and intelligent, someone who can fight bad guys, solve complicated criminal cases, and lead a team of policemen. 

Actresses from Bollywood are exploring such intense characters and donning the uniform to play tough cops have given wonderful performances. Here are five female actors who convincingly essayed the role of a strong and powerful female cop. 
 

Radhika plays the role of a fierce officer, Megha Sharma, in this psychological thriller, who is in charge of the small hill town of Mussoorie in northern India. She, along with a forensic officer, Johnny Khanna, played by actor Vikrant Massey, solves the mystery surrounding the birthday killer. Radhika Apte, as usual, channels the rawness inside her to play a fierce cop, Megha Sharma, and delivers a fine performance. 

The film is an adaptation of a Malayalam film of the same name, which recently premiered on Zee5. The film is directed by Vishal Furia and also stars Prachi Desai, Vindu Dara Singh, and Rohit Roy.
 

Inspired by real events, Shefali Shah plays a tough Delhi police officer chasing down a rape incident. Shah plays DCP Vartika Chaturvedi, who investigates one of the gruesome crimes set in India’s capital. Inspired by the Nirbhaya rape case, Shah’s nuanced performance as Chaturvedi earned the show an International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series, the first Indian show to win the honour. It is one of Shefali Shah’s best performances till date.

A second instalment of the series is in the pipeline. The first season can be streamed on Netflix.
 

Unlike ever seen before, Raveena Tandon made her digital debut with Netflix with 'Aranyak', a murder mystery set in some of the most picturesque locations in India, leaving us with questions at the end of every episode. The seasoned actress played a cop named Kasturi Dogra, who is outspoken, bold, and a pure badass. Raveena was not only called out for her great performance as a cop but also for the display of her maternal instincts and as a wife of any Indian household who juggles multiple things simultaneously. 

The first season of the series ended on a suspenseful note, promising a more edgy season 2.
 

Actress Prachi Desai, as inspector Sanjana Bhatia, is bright, funny, and loves challenges. She, along with ACP Avinash Verma, played by Manoj Bajpayee, tries to investigate the unexplained death of a high-profile victim who happens to be the daughter of a retired justice. Prachi is like a breath of fresh air in the series as one doesn’t get to see her often on-screen.
 

Former Miss Universe Lara Dutta plays a cop who hires Netra (Rinku Rajguru) as an undercover cop. Netra Patil (Rinku Rajguru) learns that she has only a hundred days left to live because of her terminal illness, and later on, she meets ambitious ACP Saumya Shukla (Lara Dutta) and becomes an undercover agent. The pair attempts to complete their task within the next hundred days. The actors manage to take the viewers on an emotional roller coaster ride with lots of action and subtle humour.

‘Hundred’ is an action-comedy series directed by Ruchi Narain, Ashutosh Shah, and Taher Shabbir that is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.