Mumbai: At a time when films are dominated by male leads who show anger and engage in violent fights, actor Imran Khan said there is a clear lack of empathy, kindness, and responsibility in Bollywood’s stories and characters.
During a recent Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, as the actor’s fans flocked to the comments section and expressed their disappointment, the actor slammed Bollywood for promoting misogyny and toxic masculinity.
One user wrote, “MANNNNN where have you been????? Missed your films a lot. There has been a lack of feel-good films in the mainstream industry for quite a while. It’s worse now; there used to be originality and a feel-good charm back then, when films were actually experimental.”
Another fan added, “Nowadays, it’s just cash-grab sequels with little to no relevance from their predecessor and actioners almost every other week, missing the good old genre. You used to be the king of this feel-good genre; I really need more of this now…”
Imran replied, “Thank you! I agree, I do feel like there are certain emotional notes that are largely unrepresented in movies nowadays; there’s a distinct lack of empathy, kindness and responsibility in our stories and characters. We consciously crafted Adhure Hum Adhure Tum to cater to these underrepresented ideas. The film is in post-production right now. We hope to release it in the later part of this year, but that decision rests with Netflix.”
Another fan wrote, “You were one of the few actors who portrayed a ‘good man’ as calm, kind, and emotionally intelligent. Today, a lot of mainstream Bollywood heroes are loud, aggressive, and often glorify violence or problematic behaviour toward women. How do you see this shift as an actor? Do you think this is just a phase or a deeper change in storytelling? And do you see space for more grounded, sensitive male characters to return?”
The actor replied, “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.”
Responding to a question about “alpha males” in Bollywood, Imran wrote, “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.”
In the late 2000s, Imran brought a change in how male characters were shown less aggressive, more emotional, and closer to real life.
He made it acceptable for male leads to be sensitive, thoughtful, and even unsure at times.
Meanwhile, the actor is all set to make his comeback with ‘Adhure Hum Adhure Tum’, which is said to be a spiritual sequel to ‘Break Ke Baad’.
