Harleen had no parallel to draw upon while essaying the role. She was also initially terrified about the physicality of it all, as her character suffers from brutal beatings as an adult. Thankfully, she worked in tandem with her on-screen father, Suvinder Vicky, to get the nuances right. She learnt to trust in her co-star and just went with the flow. “Suvinder and I delved into the world-building of Kohrra during our discussions. Suvinder, with his intense physicality, played a significant role in grounding me in the moment and connecting with my body rather than overthinking.
Acting, after all, is as much about reacting. The scenes were filled with screams, shouts, tears, and physical confrontations, which allowed me to immerse myself fully and rely on instinct rather than intellect.” She adds she was drawn towards the role because of its unpredictability. And looking back she’s gobsmacked by the fact that she was able to achieve it all with her sanity intact. She credits her director, Randeep Jha, as well as all her co-stars, for being with her when it mattered. She mentions that working in Kohrra brought her closer to her roots.
“I’m a Sikhni from Mumbai who was never well-versed with my mother tongue as I never got a chance to speak it fluently. Apart from my parents, I was speaking in Hindi or English with everyone else and as a result was losing touch. My day was made when my parents complimented me on my perfect Punjabi pronunciation in the series. I worked hard on it and it paid off,” she gushes. Harleen says people connected with the project knew they were on to something special while filming it but didn’t have a clue that it would become this big and resonate with audiences globally.
Police procedurals are a rare bird indeed when it comes to Indian viewership. Harleen adds that people were drawn to it not just for the buddy cop drama but because of the realistic portrayal of the lives of everyone involved in the case.
The actress played a spy in Kathmandu Connection and a CBI officer in The Gone Game, Incidentally, her next series is also a cop drama, based on a German show called Bad Cop: Kriminell Gut. Harleen says her performance in Kohrra got her the new assignment. ”Aditya Dutt, the director of the show, saw my performance in Kohrra and found it captivating, deeming me perfect for the role in his show.”
She was wary of doing something similar so soon and initially declined the offer, citing a desire to do something different but upon further reflection, she agreed. Dutt had left the script with her and the more she read it, the more she got intrigued by it and started imagining herself in it. “The character is truly remarkable, and it marks my first foray into action—an experience imbued with profound empowerment. It’s a cop drama, rich with layers of complexity.” The cast comprises names like Gulshan Devaiah, Anurag Kashyap, Saurabh Sachdeva, and Aishwarya Sushmita. And the chance to work with such an eclectic bunch further sweetened the deal for her.
Harleen feels that working in the OTT space has done wonders for her career. She points out that web shows allow an actor to flesh out characters better as they are shot for five-eight hours of content. Also, they offer variety not just for the actors but for the writers, cinematographers, editors and other technicians. “Everyone has more to do now and that has resulted in a lot more positivity. No one is sitting jobless at home and every opportunity gives you a chance to hone your skills,” she reveals. Apart from the cop drama, she’d also be seen in a medical drama, where she’s playing a surgeon. She’s part of a project directed by Milan Luthria and has also done a film starring Abhishek Bachchan, directed by Remo D’Souza. Both are OTT projects.
She’s a trained dancer and Harleen’s dance videos have taken the internet by storm. She says that before joining her MBA batch, she attended a summer jazz workshop and was completely bowled over.
The genre was completely new to her. “I’d never even watched ballet videos, jazz, and contemporary. I’d started going for these classes, and my instructors told me that if I wanted to, they would be offering a scholarship. But I’ll have to give them 12 hours of my life everyday, six days a week.
I told my parents that I can do an MBA later but this looks better currently.They supported me in my decision.” Strangely, even after giving so much of her time and energy to learning new dance forms, she never considered taking it up professionally. She was neither interested in becoming a dancer, nor a choreographer. “I learnt dance when I was 19-20, and then Lamborghini happened when I was 29 years old and it became so popular. But by then I’d already established myself as an actor and hence haven’t really thought of taking up dance on the commercial stage.”
Besides acting, she loves to travel and takes off without an agenda when she’s not busy shooting. The actor in her doesn’t relax however, even while on vacation. She’s constantly watching people. “When you travel to a new place, you meet new people and get to explore their locales, culture and food. Travelling to different places and meeting different people creates unique experiences and perspectives in life, which helps me in improving my craft.” She’s constantly posting on social media as she’s travelling and she’s known for her no-filter posts. She believes in being as real as she can be for her fans and feels filters create a false perception. “I feel besides entertainment, an actor’s job is also to inspire others to do better. People have told me that my character Sameera from Broken But Beautiful has inspired them. You feel thrilled when you hear such things.”
Her pairing with Vikrant Massey in Broken But Beautiful was much admired. She reveals he’s her college senior and they share many common friends. She says he’s one of the best co-stars she has ever worked with and she admires his fortitude and commitment. “Gosh! I still have to call him to congratulate him on the success of 12th Fail,” she grins sheepishly. “He’s simply too good in it. And he’s become a father now as well. Success couldn’t have come to a nicer person. I’m just so happy for him and wish him the best in the world.”
She was part of the jury for the International EMMYs and counts it as one of her most cherished experiences. She adds that while it’s easy to judge your own performance, judging others comes with an added responsibility. Being part of the process enhanced her understanding of her craft. “There were other panellists like Tillotama Shome, Amruta Subhash and Regina Cassandra. We had an entire day of viewing. We were judging the Best Actor Male in a European series. We were watching six different episodes all day. It was very interesting because you are not supposed to discuss it with anyone. You can’t discuss your scores, you can’t discuss who you voted for, what, and what score you gave them. We don’t even know the language. So it’s about how it makes you feel connected to art.” She adds that while it was exhausting, she also thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”
She’s single but doesn’t let on if she’s ready to mingle. Ask her to describe her dream partner, she says she’s no longer a teenager who’s swayed by mere good looks. “At this age and stage in life, it has to be someone who has similar values and life goals. Having a life partner is about making a choice. So for me, he has to be a family man, is honest and sincere towards relationships, and has a fire to learn and grow in life.”
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