WEB SPACE GETS ITS OWN COP UNIVERSE
The newer stories try to show the life of the police forces in a more realistic light without glorifying them or their crime-solving skills
Remember Bollywood’s popular dialogue ‘aa rahi hai police’? Well, that is turning out to be a reality in the OTT world too. In fact, it won’t be wrong to say that they have already arrived, as reflected in the growing popularity of cop dramas in the web space. OTT platforms are filled with brave and skilled cops’ stories, from edgy thrillers to investigative dramas, with Shefali Shah and Rasika Dugal in Delhi Crime, Saif Ali Khan’s Sacred Games, or Raveena Tandon in Aranyak taking the cake.
The universe is now set to expand with the entrance of Rohit Shetty’s Indian Police Force starring Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Sidharth Malhotra, and Vivek Oberoi. Sonakshi Sinha will also make her debut in the web outing, Dahaad.
“Since the crime and thriller genres are so popular, cop roles are also in vogue. I especially see women playing cops a lot more now,” says Richa Chadha, who donned the uniform for Candy.
To this, actor Swara Bhasker, who was seen as a police officer in Flesh, adds, “There has always been a fascination to see the uniform on screen — there is an inherent honour and glamour associated with it. Earlier, the fascination was to see men in uniform; now I’m happy to say that we see more women wearing it too... The kind of lives police lead are dramatic and cops always have the most interesting stories because their work is about conflict and conflict produces the best stories… Cop tales are a natural choice for streamers.”
Seen in Undekhi and Jamtara, actor Dibyendu Bhattacharya shares, “The whole cat and mouse chase has been an interesting genre of the cinematic world. In fact, chor-police is a game everyone has played at some point as a child and is ingrained in our system. Now, we are getting to see that in the OTT space through stories which come with a moral message or a message of hope while focusing on the realities.”
Even though crime-solving tales involving police officers have been a part of the landscape for the cinematic medium’s entire history, the addition of layers, and giving a sneak peek into the complex life of an officer always on duty has garnered attention, making them more prevalent.
“Now, the main difference is that we are getting into their personal space. Till now, we have seen a cardboard image of a police officer, thanks to Crime Patrol or CID. Now, we are exploring their pressures — how tough it is to get a promotion, and the inquiry scene, something that was earlier done in movies. While making shows on the web, films such as Shool (1999) and Black Friday (2004) act as the reference point,” explains Candy maker Ashish Shukla.
According to Dugal, the new stories coming out paint a more realistic picture of the conflicts of police officers, which shifts the whole narrative around cop characters in the cinematic world. “I think civil society and the police have always had a difficult relationship. Maybe, some of these stories serve the purpose of humanising the police rather than reducing them to caricatures or glorifying them as heroes,” she says.
Actor Darshan Kumar was honoured to don the khaki uniform in Aashram, and says he is glad that the character of a cop has evolved. “It has got an altogether new dimension, graph, characterisation and has become more real and authentic. That is the reason why the likability towards the cop characters have also grown among the viewers, over the years,” he shares.
And the shows come with life lessons, feels Dhahanam actor Isha Koppikar, noting, “I feel that these dramas will educate the public on a lot of fronts such as self-defence and laws discerning various crimes.”
Who doesn’t love a good cop chase that ends with justice being served?