In Indian films, the female cop is often wrapped in a hyper-masculine mould—performing slow-motion walks, delivering booming dialogues, and displaying flawless, heroism. But Prime Video’s upcoming film, Babita Singh Reporting takes a drastically different and human path. It introduces us to Babita, a woman who is not a ready-made superhero, but a person struggling to find her footing in a system designed to keep her small. The film’s team talks about going down this road less taken in a candid chat with Hindustan Times.
Not a ‘male cop in a female body’
The representation of women in uniform has suffered from a lack of genuine female perspective in Indian films. The film’s executive producer Sudip Sharma highlights this pitfall: “A trick that we miss when men write female cops is that they basically write male cops but as females. I think that was what was so refreshing about this script and this film that it doesn’t do so.” He says Babita Singh Reporting embraces a lived reality of a woman navigating a patriarchal workspace.
At the heart of the film is a character trying to the daily life. Director Ambiecka Pandit explains that the decision to portray Babita this way was deliberate. “She is trying to transition into being a real cop. But patriarchy at work is also keeping her down,” she notes. “It was a conscious call to present this character as someone who wasn’t striving. She is trying to find her voice in her professional and personal life.”
A familiar struggle
Babita’s struggle is not just professional; but also personal. She is bound by shackles of domesticity even when she wears the khaki. “I was very conscious of the fact that Babita is essentially a woman first, and that she is playing roles,” Ambiecka shares. “At the beginning of the film, she is a wife, a daughter-in-law, and a cop. She is identified by the roles. She has forgotten who Babita is because she has suppressed it so much.”
For actor Nimisha Sajayan, the connection to the character was instantaneous. “The first reaction was ‘I have met so many Babys in my life’,” she recalls, referring to Babita’s nickname in the film. “And once the character resonates, like this one, it is easier to get into her shoes.” Nimisha is a Malayali who grew up in Mumbai, very far removed from the small-town Madhya Pradesh setting of the film and her character. “But the emotions are universal, the challenges are universal,” shares the actor. To her, Babita is not an anomaly; but the everyday woman we pass on the street. As Ambiecka puts it: “The beauty of this film is that she isn’t the typical female cop that you have seen. She is struggling there, and we are hoping that the earnesty in the struggle is what people will resonate with.”
All about Babita Singh Reporting
Directed by Ambiecka Pandit, written by Amita Vyas, and executive produced by Paatal Lok creator Sudip Sharma, Babita Singh Reporting stars Nimisha Sajayan in her lead role as Babita, joined by Barun Sobti and Anshumaan Pushkar. The film will release on Prime Video on August 28.