Hasleen Kaur discusses how playing a Punjab Police officer in CAT led to people mistaking her for a real cop when they shot in Tarn Taran.
Hasleen Kaur, a former Miss India,’s glamour quotient, on the other hand, ends at Instagram. Which is why, while fans were taken aback by her de-glam cop avatar in the recent web series CAT, Hasleen claims she felt completely at ease in the role. Hasleen discusses CAT, being mistaken for a cop in Punjab, and her upcoming film, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar.
The audience has praised CAT, both for Hasleen’s performance and for the show as a whole. The show is set in the early 2000s in Punjab, with Randeep Hooda playing a police informant in a drug ring and Hasleen playing a junior cop assisting him. Despite the fact that it was not a tentpole or widely publicised series, the series was trending on Netflix in the week following its release. “I was also a little jittery, and I hope we promote it more,” Hasleen says. Though I had complete faith in Randeep’s fan base because I had witnessed the craze for Randeep Hooda since the day the teaser was released. They were expecting to see him in this avatar. But I believe that being low-key worked in our favour. Word of mouth is the best type of marketing because it spreads the fastest.”
“As an actor, I want to do roles different from what my previous profession has been, which is modelling,” Hasleen says of her decision to play ASI Babita. I purposefully avoided being cast in a role that required me to look glamorous. They believe that because she is an ex-Miss India, she will wear a bikini and so on. That’s why I was overjoyed when Balvinder Sir approached me about this role. It’s difficult because it’s so different from who I am, but I want to do it. “My modelling days are over.”
Babita, her character, is not what one would expect a former beauty queen to play. Hasleen, on the other hand, claims she felt right at home. “In my personal life, I am a very de-glam girl,” she says. I don’t get dressed up. In fact, my mother or friends frequently tell me to put on lipstick or dress up more when we go out. People assume that if you are Miss India, you will dress a certain way. Even after I finished my pheras at my wedding, a friend offered me lipstick because she said I didn’t look like a bride. That’s the way I am. “I was very pleased with the show.”
But wearing the police uniform, which made her feel more in character, sealed the deal for Hasleen. In fact, she was mistaken for a real cop while filming in Tarn Taran, Punjab. “The moment I put it on, I felt like a real cop,” Hasleen recalls. I was walking strangely. I’d feel that swagger (ek raub aajaata tha). In Tarn Taran, I was once mistaken for a real police officer. I had some time in between shots and was craving some dhaba food. As a result, I went to the main market. First and foremost, the dhaba wallah cleaned the table and chairs as if a real cop had arrived. Even a constable who was eating there approached me and asked, “Kede zile de ho?’ (Which district are you from). For a split second, I considered lying about it to see what reaction I would get, but then I told him I was an actor, and we were filming.”
The show ended on a cliffhanger, and Hasleen says she’s been asked if there will be a second season. “I can definitely promise you that there will be a second season,” says the actor. When asked for more information, she says her lips are sealed. She does, however, discuss her upcoming project, Luv Ranjan’s Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. Hasleen plays a supporting role in the film starring Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. “People are going to love watching Ranbir Kapoor in this avatar again, in a rom com. That’s how much I adore Ranbir. He saw two very heavy films this year: Brahmastra and Shamshera. So, this will be simple and enjoyable for the audience,” she adds.
