'No interest in playing a hairy, angry man covered in blood': Imran Khan on the rising masculinity trend in Bollywood

Dhurandhar 2 has made the bed for several trends and lifestyle choices these days. Currently people are obsessed with the look of the rageful figure of a man. In a similar context when actor Imran Khan was asked if he is into such kinds of roles, the actor said that he holds no significant interest in portraying the "hairy angry young man" fighting for justice and defining the generation’s masculinity. 

Imran Khan distances himself from ‘alpha male’ roles amid growing film trends

Imran on Wednesday hosted a ‘Ask me anything’ session on Reddit, giving fans a chance to connect with him directly and ask their hearts out. One such request from his fans was to avoid the now trending macho man roles as he does best in his chocolate boy avatar. To that Imran replied, “Yeah, no interest in playing a hairy, angry man covered in blood. I think that genre is generously represented”.

The conversation went on with other fans who asked him what is his take on masculinity and  the industry’s portrayal of the alpha man as the real deal. Imran being the sweetest man he is, replied in the most elegant way.

He said, “I am disturbed by the upward trend in how misogyny and toxic masculinity are propagated in our films, and the world at large. I fear that men shy away from these conversations because at an individual level they feel blamed for the actions of others… and because of this, they miss the point that these restrictive definitions of masculinity hurt men as well. True strength lies in emotional vulnerability.”

The actor also added how he has been utterly disturbed by the rising trend to coddle a man child’s aggression and how the industry has often blurred the lines between toxicity and violence and validated it with proper storylines, which somehow doesn’t fit the real world. 

He said, “I have also noticed this trend and am disturbed by the way these films coddle every violent tantrum thrown by emotionally immature man-children who can’t conceive of a valid reason that a woman might spurn their advances. Important to note that there’s a significant difference between portraying violence and toxicity, and validating them. I see it as people chasing a trend without consideration. My own sensibilities would not permit me to participate in a narrative which I consider to be irresponsible.”

While the actor didn’t name any specific film, it was clear what he was hinting at. Films like Dhurandhar 2 and Animal, among others, have portrayed exactly what Imran was referring to.

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