The second season of writer and filmmaker Neerraj Pathak’s crime drama Inspector Avinash recently started streaming on JioHotstar. The show stars Randeep Hooda in the titular role. Along with him, it also features Heera Sohal in the role of sub-inspector Garima Thakur. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, she revealed that this was her first acting project. However, she had to wait long for its release as it was shot in 2021.

EXCLUSIVE: Inspector Avinash actor Heera Sohal AMAZED by Randeep Hooda’s gesture on set: “He was adjusting my socks, he made me feel comfortable to this extent”

Heera shared that she has always been a fan of Randeep Hooda and she was keen to work with him. She is glad that she got that opportunity in her first web show itself. During the shoot, she was amazed to realize how grounded Randeep is.

“He is a great actor and I really learnt a lot from him,” she said. “He never let me feel that I am a newcomer. When I met him for the first time, he told me, ‘Heera, bindaas hoke kaam karna. Darna nahin, heartbeat tez nahin karna’. He also said, ‘You are too pretty for this character’. I told him I don’t whether this is a compliment (laughs). He also asked me to tone down my make-up. He said sub-inspectors don’t apply lipstick.”

But what really stunned Heera was Randeep’s gesture to help her out during the shoot. “I don’t know whether I should say this but he was adjusting my socks. He also sat down and also adjusted my pant (police uniform) in the right way. He made me feel comfortable to this extent. He told me, ‘Main tera dost hoon, bas yeh soch. Aur zyada tension nahin lena’. He was so grounded and helpful. His dedication naturally motivates you to perform better and give your best,” she said.

EXCLUSIVE: Inspector Avinash actor Heera Sohal AMAZED by Randeep Hooda’s gesture on set: “He was adjusting my socks, he made me feel comfortable to this extent”

Heera added that she is not at all like a cop in real life. Hence, she had to adapt to prepare to get into the skin of the character. “I had to adapt that character, like how strong, disciplined and tough she is,” she said. “I had to prep a lot mentally to understand the pressure and responsibilities of a police officer. I also worked on my body language, so that the character feels natural and believable on screen. I took some classes also. I don’t know whether it has worked on screen. I did my best; this is all I can do (laughs). I had to underplay the character. I was told not to be too loud.”

When Neerraj Pathak signed Heera for the role, she had a little doubt whether she would be able to pull off the character. “But he didn’t have any doubts,” she said. “He was like, ‘Tu kar legi, don’t worry. I know that’. When your director says that, then even you start feeling that you can do it.”

Heera is also known for appearing in Honey Singh’s popular music videos like ‘Millionaire’ and ‘6 AM’. However, she doesn’t wish to do glamorous roles. “I want to do projects by remaining low key. I don’t want to be like a flower pot. People should look at me like an actor,” she said.

When asked about her forthcoming projects, Heera said, “There are two-three projects in the pipeline. One is for Jio (Studios), which a web series. There is another Punjabi film that I am doing.”

She added, “I feel my journey is still evolving, and honestly main abhi bhi uss ek project ka wait kar rahi hoon jo truly meri life ka turning point ban jaaye. Of course, I’ve been lucky enough to be part of big songs and exciting projects, and unhone mujhe recognition aur experience diya hai, but somewhere I still feel there’s a lot more to achieve. I believe that one big breakthrough is still waiting for me, so let’s see where this journey takes me.”

Also Read: Akanksha Puri calls Inspector Avinash one of her most challenging roles yet: “It’s truly rewarding”

Tags : Bollywood, Bollywood Features, Features, Heera Sohal, Hotstar, Inspector Avinash Season 2, JioHotstar, Neeraj Pathak, OTT, OTT Platform, Randeep Hooda, Web Series