The 2017 web series The Test Case features Nimrat Kaur as the only woman among a group of Army officers training to join the Special Forces – making her the “test case” for women in combat roles. Since the show released, the representation of women in armed forces has seen a huge leap. As part of our Women’s Day series, Nimrat, who comes from an Army background, tells us about how she prepped for the role and why gender shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for wanting to serve your country.

Nimrat says that the biggest gift of having done The Test Case is that till now, every time she goes through airport security, she receives a lot of positive comments from women uniformed personnel. She says, “So many female CISF officers have told me how they relate to my character and how Captain Shikha Sharma inspires them. I feel women in uniform will resonate with that part. No matter which force they belong to, they all face similar challenges. I met a girl at an airport who told me that she was quitting her job to join the Army because my role inspired her so much. That is a gift that will last for a long time. If there is even a 1% part that I played in furthering possibilities and dreams (of girls joining the Army), I think I am on the right path in life. ”

Nimrat says that she connected with the series for many reasons. “I got to play an Army officer and wear the uniform because of The Test Case. Through this series, I visited a lot of places physically and emotionally. I am not sure whether I will play an Army officer again, but this will remain very close to my heart. Always. I was so attached to that character that I kept my uniform from the show. That was the only time I kept an entire costume because it was beyond work for me for many reasons,” she says.

Nimrat shares that the show was a way for her to revisit childhood. She says, “I have been so far from the Army life and uniform (in movie roles), although the Army life is second nature to me. On the set, I would keep saying that this is what happens in the Army and this is what we can do.”

Nimrat, whose father served in the Army, says she has always been fascinated with the uniform. “I used to watch my father donning the uniform, and that is one of my most treasured memories. Wearing that uniform for this show was almost too good to be true,” she says.

When asked if she feels if the Army has been slow to accept women officers, Nimrat says, “I don’t think one can fault the system because it is perceivably a more masculine job to be in the Army. You can’t fault the system for the way it is, but I feel like accommodation should be made, which are being made, so that more women become part of the forces.”

She adds, “The one dialogue from the show (The Test Case) that stayed with me is that ‘I have as much right to die for my country as any other man’. That, for me, was the crux of the story. It is not about trying to be a man, it is that I should have the option, if I choose, as a girl to do for my country what a man is allowed to do. There should be no bias. Decisions should be made on the basis of merit, physical capacity and other parameters, that is fair. But a girl should have the option to serve her country.”

-----------------------------------

Last week, the Indian Army’s official social media account posted a training video of officers from Special Forces and what caught people’s attention was that there was a woman officer training with her male colleagues. The officer in question is Captain Deeksha C Mudadevannanavar, a regimental medical officer (RMO) with the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) unit, who has been training with the unit for four months. In her recent interviews, Captain Deeksha has said that everyone treats her like they would treat any other officer.

Capt Deeksha’s pictures and videos caught the attention of Nimrat Kaur, who played the role of a Captain training with Special Forces in The Test Case. “It reminded me of the show, as in our series too, Captain Shikha Sharma is training with the Special Forces, which is the most difficult training,” says Nimrat.