Kuljeet Randhawa

Early life and career

Randhawa was born on 1 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 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. However after Randhawa's exit Gauri Pradhan could not manage the show successfully and was even criticized for her role. The show also saw a dip in ratings and Randhawa was being missed in the show

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

Filmography

Hip Hip Hurray — Zee TV (Role — Prishita)

Ghar Ek Mandir — Sony TV(Cameo)

C.A.T.S. - Sony TV (Lead Role — Ash)

Rishtey — Zee TV (Cameo)

Aahat — Sony TV (Episodic)

Sarhadein — Zee TV (Cameo)

Kyun Hota Hai Pyaar — Star Plus (Cameo)

Kehta Hai Dil — Star Plus (Cameo)

Kkusum — Sony TV (Cameo)

Kambhkht Ishq — Zee TV (Cameo)

Special Squad — Star One (Lead Role — Shaina Singh)

Kohinoor — Sahara One (Lead Role — Irawati Kohli)

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 suburb of Mumbai. 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.

Legacy

Randhawa's death had drawn strong reactions from all over the country. Her popularity seems to have increased rapidly over the past few years. She remains a topic of discussion for her suicide in mysterious reasons. Apart from that, the appreciation for her work she has done in the media has garnered a lot of praise. Her role in TV Series Special Squad as 'Shaina Singh' is now seen as an Inspiration. Fans have also expressed over the years that her performance has been much stronger than the male lead Bhanu Uday however, she did not receive much praise while she was in the show. Fans of Randhawa keeps celebrating her work online usually in order to wish the best for her departed soul.