Female cops: The flavour of the season in M-Town

Of late, Mollywood has seen several actors putting on the khaki and boots to play cops. Their female counterparts are not far behind when it comes to bashing villains and goons on-screen. Actress Lena is the latest to join the bandwagon that already boasts the likes of Asha Sharath and Manju Warrier.
Manju Warrier The actress’ second coming in the film industry had her essaying strong and empowering roles.Adding to the list is her latest as a khaki clad officer in the latest Rajesh Pillai movie Vettah. Manju plays an IPS officer alongside Indrajith. We hear the actress has taken tips from real-life cops including B Sandhya IPS to perfect her role.
Asha Sharath Actress Asha Sharath’s performance in Drishyam as police inspector general Geetha Prabhakar, was lauded by several film critics including late Tamil film legend K Balachander. She went on to reprise the role in the movie’s Tamil and Kannada remakes. The actress earlier told us how the role changed the course of her acting career. She said, “It was pivotal. The character changed my life. I could never visualise myself as a police officer so it was one of those unexpected roles, because of which I got to work in several languages in South India.”
Abhirami Abhirami will be seen as a police officer for the first time in Ithu Thaanda Police. She says, “I play sub inspector Arundathi Varma, who heads a Vanitha Police Station. Though my character is not funny, it adds to the comedy element of the film. Arundathi strives to eliminate the disparity between woman police and their male counterparts, and at the same time, stands for women empowerment.”She adds, “When you put on khaki, you automatically feel respect for the officers. The character required a different body language as you can’t slouch and had to always get the posture correct. It meant putting aside your feminine traits.”
Lena After playing cop roles in the Mohanlal-starrer Spirit and Dulquer Salmaan’s Vikramadityan, the zesty actress will be donning the khaki again, this time for Deepu Karunakaran’s upcoming film titled Karikunnam Sixes. She says, “It is a sports drama about a volleyaball team of prison inmates. However, the cop’s personality becomes important because of its impact on the film. My character influences the flow of the story.” Lena joins an already grand lineup of actors in the movie that comprise Manju Warrier, Anoop Menon and Sudev Nair.
Sheelu Abraham For actress Sheelu Abraham, who played Jeena Bhai IPS in the recent Mammootty starrer Puthiya Niyamam, essaying bold characters on-screen has been a cake walk. She says, “My character in the film upholds women’s rights as her prime concern. Though the film is not primarily about cops, my character gets involved in the plot over time. The climax would have been altogether different without my role.”She adds, “Though I had apprehensions regarding the role, the moment I wore the police uniform, I became all the more confident and felt like I am an IPS officer. I deliberately did not watch Asha Sharath’s and Tabu’s performance in Drishyam for reference, as I thought I would start imitating them.”