Actor Randeep Hooda says a lot of cop characters in films have become stereotypical and larger than life, while OTT platforms offer more realistic and layered exploration of such roles. He returns as the titular cop in the second season of his crime thriller series ‘Inspector Avinash’.

The show is directed by Neerraj Pathak of Sunny Deol-starrer ‘Bhaiaji Superhit’ fame. Set in the volatile landscape of 1990s Uttar Pradesh, the new season raises the intensity as Inspector Avinash Mishra finds himself caught in a storm that is as personal as it is political.

“A lot of our cop characters lately in films have been very caricature-ish, larger than life. That’s also a genre of movie… It’s somebody else’s expression of doing it.

“But in the OTT space, we get more time to deal with other parts of the police officer’s life or anybody’s life in terms of his family, his relationship with the different people he works with… it is giving it a more real touch. There are many great pieces that have come out which are one different from the other describing the plight of these people,” Hooda told PTI in an interview.

The actor said he feels fortunate to have essayed the role of Inspector Avinash, who is based on a real-life cop from Uttar Pradesh.

“I know the real Inspector Avinash Mishra as well… It is by far one of my favourite characters and the most fun characters I have played, though the situations and the kind of crime that he is in, is quite severe. But the way he deals with it and how he speaks, carries himself, how he is with his team, family and criminals, it is very entertaining and interesting,” he said.

Despite portraying a real-life character, Hooda believes an actor can still bring a new dimension to the role.

“As an actor, when you imbue yourself with somebody else’s thought process and physicality, then your own touch also makes it a bit special and that’s what is unique about our work as a whole that we create,” he added.

Hooda is no stranger to portraying real-life figures, having previously starred in films such as ‘Sarbjit’, ‘Rang Rasiya’, ‘Main Aur Charles’ and ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’.

“I don’t know whether I have the formula for that, but I have been very fortunate to have these roles… Whenever you get to play any real-life characters, it becomes easier and difficult at the same time. Easier in the sense that you have a defined boundary for that person and difficult because you have got to get it right without trying to imitate them, but still trying to embody them,” he said, according to the PTI report.

‘Inspector Avinash’ also features Urvashi Rautela, Amit Sial, Abhimanyu Singh, Rajneesh Duggal, Shalin Bhanot and Freddy Daruwala in pivotal roles. The show’s second season premiered on JioHotstar yesterday.