Kuljeet Randhawa was an Indian model and actress. The former Gladrags model was known for her portrayal of bold and strong women-centric characters. She is best known for her work inTV seriesC.A.T.S., Special Squad and Kohinoor.
Early life and career
Randhawa was born on 29th January 1976 in Raniganj, Asansol, West Bengal. Her father served in the Indian police, which enabled Kuljeet to travel across India including Patiala, Punjab where her father was serving at the time of her suicide. She began modelling as a student, and her work included several ads and runway shows for major designers. She earned her Honours in Psychology from Delhi University. Randhawa began her career starring in Hip Hip Hurray replacing Shweta Salve as 'Prishita'. Her performance was appreciated but she came into the spotlight when she was signed as the new lead in UTV show C.A.T.S. where she again replaced an actress Karminder Kaur. The TV starring Nafisa Joseph and Malini Sharma became popular but remained slow on the ratings front. Randhawa was highly appreciated for her part as detective 'Ash'. Following the end of the series, Kuljeet continued to appear in many TV shows as cameos and side by side also featured in modelling assignments. Randhawa saw a huge success as a model but was completely choosy when it comes to acting. After C.A.T.S. she was not seen in a lead role and after a long gap she returned in a lead role in Star One's Special Squad Star One. Randhawa was not happy with the content being portrayed on Indian Television where actresses were mostly crying. She always opted for bold and strong women centric roles which is why she used to get typecasted in thriller roles. Randhawa played a cop/detective in more than five TV shows which was a record for any Indian Television actress and a unique one which no actress could follow successfully. Her performance was very well received in Special Squad but in order to increase the ratings, Gauri Pradhan Tejwani was signed as another female lead in the show. After six episodes, Kuljeet quit the show citing professional decisions however it was indicated that Kuljeet left the show because of Gauri which the previous declined later. Right after she quit Special Squad, Randhawa was signed to play 'Irawati Kohli' in Cinevistaas and Sahara One Production 'Kohinoor'. In an exclusive chat transcript, Randhawa revealed details about the show, Special Squad, Nafisa Joseph and more about herself. The season one of Kohinoor was well received by the audience and the makers were planning another season but it couldn't materialize after Randhawa committed suicide in 2006. Randhawa also appeared in several television series including Hip Hip Hurray, C.A.T.S., and a lead role in STAR One's Special Squad. She was supposed to appear in a film called 'By Chance' but the film was stalled and never released
Besides Acting, Randhawa worked on a number of modelling assignments for brands like Reid and Taylor, Recova, Maggi, Anchor Switches etc.
Death
On 8 February 2006, Kuljeet hanged herself in her apartment in Juhu, a town in western Maharashtra. In a suicide note, Kuljeet stated that she was ending her life as she was unable to cope with life's pressures. Shortly before her death, she had completed filming for the movie By Chance. She died at the age of 30.
