Three women led a sleek, stylish TV show that defined what was cool in the early 2000s. Three years later, one of the lead actresses, who was also a well-known VJ on MTVHe died at the age of 26. After another two years, another leading actress died. In the midst of all this, the third lead actress, who had appeared in one of the most popular horror films of the time, drifted away from fame and never returned to show business. This show was called CATS and it starred Nafisa Joseph, Kuljeet Randhawa and Malini Sharma as spies in what was a desi version of Charlie’s Angels. The show aired in 2001 for 32 episodes and, although it was fairly short-lived, it had a dedicated following. However, in the years since the tragedies, the show is now remembered for its women. Many also said that the show was “cursed” because of how the lives of its three lead actresses turned out.
Nafisa Joseph was Miss India and later became an MTV VJ.
Nafisa Joseph, who hosted the CATS show, was a popular model and VJ before appearing on the show. Nafisa won the Miss India pageant in 1997 and went on to compete in Miss Universe the same year. He qualified up to the top 10 of the contest. At the time, Nafisa wanted to pursue a law degree and work in human resource development because of her “basic concern for humanity and the poor and oppressed,” she said in Miss Universe. She was extremely concerned about the poverty plaguing India and when asked about the “biggest injustice” in the world, Nafisa said it was “bringing a child into the world and not even being able to offer him peace.”
Nafisa Joseph was Miss India 1997. She later became a VJ on MTV. (Photo: Express Archives)
Returning to India after Miss Universe, Nafisa received a lot of love from the entertainment and modeling industry. During an interview on Shekhar Suman’s Movers and Shakers, Nafisa said that others convinced her to participate in the pageant and she relented because she was “curious to know about the life of a Miss India.” Although she admitted she was “scared” and wondered where her life would take her next.
Soon after her tenure as Miss India, Nafisa was called to judge MTV India’s VJ search but surprisingly, they ended up hiring her as a VJ. It appeared on the music channel during the time when the People like Mini Mathur, Maria Goretti, Cyrus Broacha, Malaika Arora also appeared on the channel.. He presented several shows here and was very popular with young people.
Nafisa died at the age of 26 in 2004.
It was during this time that Nafisa also began to land some acting roles and was later seen on the Sony television show CATS. In a conversation with India Today at the time, he said, “If CATS does well, I might consider theater because I have heard that real actors come from there.” The show ran for 32 episodes, and since it aired weekly, it aired for just over seven months.
Three years after CATS, in 2004, Nafisa died at her home in Bombay due to suicide. At the time she was engaged to businessman Gautam Khanduja and the two were supposed to get married the following month. Before this, she was briefly engaged to actor Sameer Malhotra.
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Nafisa Joseph died at the age of 26.
Kuljeet Randhawa and Nafisa Joseph were best friends
Nafisa’s death shocked the entire industry, and her friends and colleagues mourned her passing. Kuljeet Randhawa, who was her co-star in CATS, was left deeply shocked after Nafisa’s untimely demise, as the two had become best friends during the filming of CATS. Kuljeet’s career was on the rise, as was Nafisa, and sadly, like her best friend, she too passed away two years later.
Kuljeet graduated in Psychology from Delhi University and began his career with the popular television show Hip Hip Hurray. She rose to fame with CATS and later appeared on Star One’s show Special Squad. It was on this show that she met Bhanu Uday and the two began dating.
Kuljeet died in 2006 at the age of 30.
Special Squad was on air during the Remix and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai era of the channel and garnered a huge fan following. Kuljeet was the lead actress of the show, but after a change by the producers, actor Gauri Pradhan was roped in. Six episodes later, Kuljeet left the show. At the time, it was suggested that she had quit because of Gauri, but she later clarified that Gauri had been extremely warm to her and hinted that her disagreement was with the producers. She then landed a lead role in Sahara One’s Kohinoor and finished shooting her first film.
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In 2006, at the age of 30, Kuljeet committed suicide at her home in Mumbai. At that time, her boyfriend Bhanu Uday was out of town and could not attend her funeral. Kuljeet left a note implying that Bhanu had nothing to do with his actions.
Malini Sharma in CATS. (Photo: Express Archives)
Malini Sharma quit the entertainment industry despite her early fame
Not just Nafisa and Kuljeet, the third woman of the trio, Malini Sharma, also gained some fame in the early 2000s. Malini first rose to fame after appearing in Bombay Vikings’ music video “Kya Soorat Hai”, which became an instant hit. He then appeared in Mika Singh’s music video “Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag”, which is still quite popular.
When Malini got CATS, her modeling career was on the rise and she tried to make her mark as an actress. And it seemed like CATS was helping her establish herself, as partly because of this show she landed a pivotal role in Vikram Bhatt’s Raaz, which made Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea overnight sensations. Malini had a small role here but left an influence.
At that time, Malini had married actor Priyanshu Chatterjee, who had debuted with Tum Bin. The two remained married for a short time and divorced shortly after. But, despite all the success that was coming, Malini left showbiz. She reportedly worked as an art director on Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, starring Rani Mukerjee and Saif Ali Khan, but was never seen in front of the camera again.
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The three women were loved on CATS but with the tragedies that happened in the years since the show, they have become part of one of the forgotten chapters of Indian television.