Regional influence in entertainment is growing: Hasleen Kaur

Currently shooting for the OTT seriesYe Dil Suna Raha Hai alongside Amit Sadh, Zoya Afroz and Shaheer Sheikh in Chandigarh, actress Hasleen Kaur says 2026 has become a year of thrillers and layered characters for her. Shot across Delhi and Noida, the series will next move to Mumbai for its upcoming schedule. “It’s a mix of romance, thriller and mystery,” says Hasleen, who began exploring the thriller genre with CAT. “With thrillers, comedy-drama and regional stories, it’s been a very diverse platter for me,” she says.“In fact, I’m doing a film with Jimmy Sheirgill, tentatively titled Vedi Vini Vici, directed by Abhishek Sharma, which is also a murder mystery involving missing people,” she says about her role where she is reprising her character of a cop. “I play a strong Haryanvi IPS officer in the film and have been actively working on the dialect. My husband’s family is from Haryana, so they have been helping me refine the language. My mother-in-law, who has been correcting my diction, now proudly brags to people, ‘Meri bahu toh Haryanvi bolan lag li hai, (my daughter-in-law is not fluent in Haryanvi),” she laughs. Comparing the previous role of a cop in CAT to this latest project, she says, “In CAT, my character was more subdued and by-the-book, often confused by the crime unfolding around her. But in this flim my role is very different, she’s sharp, fearless and rooted.” Talking about the resurgence of regional influences on digital projects, Hasleen believes these are increasingly shaping storytelling in entertainment. “Today, every character on screen comes from somewhere, and that adds layers to it, much like how it is in real life. Now, regional dialects are also being used as tools to bring humour and authenticity to the script. Even Haryana’s cultural influence is huge right now — from music to IPL commentaries. I crack up listening to the commentaries by Ravin Kundu, bringing Haryanvi blunt wit into sharp, national focus. Audiences connect with rooted stories, I guess that is why filmmakers are utilising that as strategy to capture audiences,” she says.Continuing her thoughts on growing regionalisation across mediums, Hasleen is keen on south projects too. “There are the likes of Malayalam project, Made in Korea, a coming-of-age story, which is absolutely amazing and yet another example of how regional content is going national,” she adds. Talking about working with Jimmy Sheirgill for the first time, she says, “He’s extremely professional and very present on set and has absolutely no starry tantrums.” The film has been shot across Nainital and Mumbai and is currently in post-production, with a release expected later this year.Besides these, the actress is also hopeful of the release of Ikatthe, a comedy-drama featuring Barun Sobti and centred around the Sodhi family, which was shot last year.