Was dying to be part of Rohit Shetty's cop universe: Siddharth Malhotra

Mumbai: Actor Siddharth Malhotra on Friday said he was eager to be a part of Rohit Shetty's cop universe and his wish came true with the OTT series "Indian Police Force".

The seven-part action series, which will debut on January 19 on streamer Prime Video, marks Shetty and Malhotra's foray into long-format storytelling.

It is the next chapter in the filmmaker's cinematic universe that started with the 2011 movie “Singham” and expanded with “Singham Returns” (2014), “Simmba” (2018) and “Sooryavanshi” (2021).

At the show's trailer launch event, Malhotra, 38, said there is no one better than Shetty when it comes to presenting heroes in Hindi cinema.

"As an audience and as an actor, I've admired all his films. Even though he does comedy really well when it comes to action and portraying the heroes in the most masculine, simple and effective way, I think Rohit Shetty has great language in it. I was dying to be part of that cop universe," the actor said.

It was two years ago when the filmmaker discussed the idea for the show with Malhotra, he recalled.

"He said, 'I'm making something in the cop universe', and I said, 'great'. He said, 'It is for OTT'. When he showed his vision and I heard the story, everything just came through," he added.

Though "Indian Police Force" is a series and will be available on OTT, Malhotra said it has all the elements of a feature film.

"It is nothing short of Hindi cinema entertainment that he brings to you. I've always loved playing real-life heroes on screen. So 'Indian Police Force', and Kabir Malik, my character is nothing short of that. I hope all our Hindi cinema lovers and everybody comes through to watch this show and celebrate our real-life heroes," he added.

Also starring Shilpa Shetty and Vivek Oberoi, the show follows the officers of Delhi Police trying to catch the masterminds behind a series of bomb blasts.

Malhotra said he had a very "warm and refreshing" experience on the show.

"The atmosphere on the sets was very homely, which was very refreshing to see. It is the warmer version of the film industry, which can be harsh and practical at times," he added.

Shilpa Shetty plays the role of Tara Shetty, a character she said she would describe as someone who is "gritty, compassionate and selfless".

"When they came to narrate the part to me, the minute they said the character is called Tara Shetty, I was like 'ok.' It was also a yes on my bucket list because I always wanted to work with Rohit, not because of the Shetty connection, but because of the grasp he has on this milieu... To be able to play a cop in his cop universe is nothing but a compliment." Rohit Shetty created the series and also co-directed it with Sushwanth Prakash. The show also features Shweta Tiwari, Nikitin Dheer, Rituraj Singh, Mukesh Rishi, and Lalit Parimoo in pivotal roles.