The female cop has always been a character that induced intrigue in Hindi cinematic entertainment. Bollywood has glamorised the prototype in commercial cinema in the past. From Rekha, Hema Malini and Sridevi to Tabu, Rani Mukerji and Priyanka Chopra, many actresses have kicked butt of societal evil with larger-than-life elan, just as their male counterparts did.

With the advent of OTT in recent times, the swing has been towards realism in portraying the role. Shefali Shah and Rasika Dugal in "Delhi Crime" paved the way, and in 2021 a whole lot of new actresses will don the uniform to cut a realistic figure as lawkeepers.

IANS draws a list of actresses who have got going with action in uniform on small screen:

Shefali Shah

She redefined the female cop in many ways, with her flawless rendition in the International Emmy Award-winning web series "Delhi Crime". Shefali played Vartika Chaturvedi, a character that was based on former Delhi Police DCP Chaya Sharma, who led the Nirbhaya case investigation. She will be back in uniform on season two of the show.

Rasika Dugal

She was seen as Neeti Singh, an IPS officer-in-training, in "Delhi Crime". Although she didn't have too many action sequences, her character showed the emotional side of cops. Her character had a more personal approach to the gangrape case as she was assigned to be with the victim and her parents.

Maninee De

The actress, who has starred in shows like "Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi" and "Laado 2", recently slipped into Khaki for her role of a police officer for the crime show "Savdhaan India F.I.R. Series". Said Maninee: "I think my alter ego is that of a cop. I love playing the role of a cop."

Lara Dutta

Lara played a police officer for the first time in the web series "Hundred", which marked her digital debut. She was seen as ACP Saumya Shukla in the show, about the misadventures of two women with opposite personalities. She will return with another season of the comedy-action web series.

Gulki Joshi

She is currently seen on the small screen as S.H.O. Haseena Malik in the comedy show "Maddam Sir". Joining her as cops are actresses Yukti Kapoor, Sonali Naik and Bhavika Sharma in the show. The audience has taken to their strong roles. In fact, Gulki had earlier told IANS: "There should be a cop universe for women both in Bollywood and on television and I would love to star in all of them. I feel women would make a very interesting cop universe."

Kavita Kaushik

Much before her "Bigg Boss 14" stint, she was popular for her role of Inspector Chandramukhi Chautala in the sitcom "F.I.R". Though she quit the show in 2013, she is still remembered for her funny Haryanvi cop act.

Deepika Singh

Her character Sandhya showed how an ideal "bahu" can also take up the tough cop job. She was lauded for her IPS officer role in the hit daily soap "Diya Aur Baati Hum", which aired from 2011 to 2016.