Kajal, Payal, Lakshmi Manchu try daredevil stunts in cop dramas

With new-age actress Payal Rajput playing a cop in her next film ‘Rakshana’ and Anupama Parameswaran was seen as a special force officer in 'Tillu Square' to give a boost to cop roles in Tollywood. Even top-rung actress Kajal Aggarwal was tempted to play a tough cop in her upcoming film ‘Satyabhama’, while Lakshmi Manchu is doing some kick butt scenes as an upright cop in ‘Agninakshatram’. Actually, Kajal rose to the top with her lover girl and performance-oriented roles but agreeing to play a police officer for the first time in her career has come as a big surprise. “Kajal Aggarwal playing a tough cop is going to set a trend of sorts and it is a kind of a boost for actresses playing cops in Telugu cinema,” says Tikka Mohan, producer of ‘Satyabhama’ and adds, “Kajal went in for a complete makeover to don khakis and all set to showcase her fiery side in a subtle but impactful manner in our female-oriented film. In fact, she instantly gave her nod after our narration and it came as a pleasant surprise,” he adds.

While another actress Nandita Swetha who has become a sought-after-actor for cop roles as she was seen in uniform in films like ‘Hidimba’ and ‘Mangalavaram’. “I’ll chew a paan and deliver a few cuss words in ‘Mangalavaram’. I practiced hard with the writer and director on how to utter them in a particular way since the character was rooted in a tribal zone,” says the actress, who admits that she has been beckoned by cop roles these days. “I played a tough cop in ‘IPC 376’ and ‘Hidimbha’. Some say that I fit into a khaki uniform with ease and also I carry it with some respect,” she adds.

Another actress Lakshmi Manchu is also banking on her upcoming cop story ‘Agninakshatram’ to showcase her fiery side. "It is a perfect anger-driven role for me. I also underwent training to get my punches and kicks right since cop stories are a serious business. I am truly looking forward to it," she informs.

Summing up the trend of glam divas turning cops, director Hemanth Madhukar who trained actress Anjali to a play New York cop in ‘Nishabdham, says "Anjali worked hard to shed weight and slipped into the uniform with ease and did a good job. I think every actress wants to explore varied roles since they are mostly confined to glam-centric or bubbly kind of roles. Once-in-a-while they get an opportunity to wield guns and they are doing their best. It is kind of a challenge for glam divas to showcase their fiery side to reach out to the masses. These days, actresses are game to turn action queens.”