But actor Soha Ali Khan who is all set to play a dashing 'lady Chulbul Pandey' type female cop in a new film says that bad drivers would be the first ones to be handcuffed if she became a real cop. A hard core Sherlock Holmes fan, Soha shares her police story with CS:
The other side of law
I have no real life experiences with the law. I have never broken any laws, in fact even when the burglary took place at my home, I didn't go to the police station. I think the portrayal of the police in mainstream cinema is keeping with the general tastes of the masses.
In fact, after seeing the climax of Rang De Basanti, some policemen told me that cops don't shoot at people so randomly. But then, it was a commercial film that was high on drama and emotional quotient. I don't have anything against it, as long as the police and public are fine with it.
Suspense's a sizzler
Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie are my favourite characters. I love the classic suspense literature where detective/police solved mysteries by just using their brains. As a kid, whenever I used to read detective novels, I used to analyse who could be the murderer - the clues, motives, alibis - decoding them was so exciting!
I am not much into modern police fiction that's high on forensic, DNA and science. The mind games were a lot more interesting. In fact, Saif (Saif Ali Khan), I and my other sister Saba were all crazy about suspense and mystery thrillers. My favourite mystery novel is the Hound of the Baskervilles.
On reel life
I had done a film called Mumbai Meri Jaan. I loved Paresh's Rawal acting in it. He was playing a cop who's about to retire. I will remember his histrionics for a long time. I also loved Nana Patekar's role in Ab Tak Chappan. Though he was this daredevil encounter specialist, he managed to convey the human side so beautifully. In recent times, Nawazuddin Siddique was great as the CBI director in Kahaani.
On my hit list
I hate people who violate traffic laws. In a city like Mumbai, where driving can be so hell-raising, seeing people who cut lanes or drive rashly simply drives me mad. I would also like to arrest women who ride on bikes/scooters without wearing helmets, and that too with kids! Last but not the least, youngsters who have speeding competitions on main roads.