Bollywood male characters who challenged stereotypes and proved that men can be more than action heroes

From being portrayed as eternal macho men with a penchant for saving young ladies to show their vulnerable side and being open to emotions, the Bollywood representation of male characters has certainly come a long way.

In the early 1980s, men were portrayed as larger-than-life characters, focusing mainly on this burning rage that they carried within them all the time. The concepts of ‘ladke rote nahi hai ‘ and “Mard ko dard nahi hota” were pretty much a constant over time for Indian cinema, but now things have changed dramatically, as male characters challenge stereotypes.

Here are 7 brilliant male characters that we have seen in Bollywood movies, which have opened up the dialogue around the notion that men are not just about being “strong”, “tough”, “angry” and “manly”:

1. Shahid Kapoor as Aditya Kashyap – Jab We Met

T series

Aditya Kashyap in Jab We Met is a very beautifully written character and anyone who has seen the film can testify to it.

Here we have a man who wants to create a safe environment for a woman, a complete stranger, who travels with him. He is humble, composed and someone who thinks of others before himself. He makes sure Geet is comfortable traveling with him, showing the public that men can be trusted and are not just stalkers, whose goal is to simply pursue the woman, regardless of her wishes.

“Haan, principal tujhe bahut pasand karta hoon by woh mera problem hai. Tujhe tension lene ki koi zaroorat nahin. (Yes, I love you but that’s my problem. You don’t have to worry) “, this dialogue from him just continues to show the depths of his personality.

2. Vikrant Massey As Amol – Chhapaak

FoxStarHindi

When you fall in love with someone, one of the first things to strike is appearance and beauty. But, Amol in Chhapaak is there to show you a different side of men who believe that love is not just about falling in love with yourself and that the person inside matters too.

Amol falls in love with Malti’s courage, ethics and the way she deals with all of her grief. This in itself makes her beautiful for him, even if her face has been disfigured by the acid attack.

3. Shah Rukh Khan As Kabir Khan – Chak De! India

YRF

Kabir Khan is one of the few male, feminist characters we have seen on the big screen. He coaches a team of national hockey players and does not go easily with them simply because they are women, as they should be.

Khan sees them as hockey players, not women, which makes it clear from the start that sex doesn’t matter to him when it comes to doing his job.

However, she is also someone who does not refrain from reminding girls from time to time of how strong they are as women. True feminism.

4. Manav Kaul As Ashok Dube – Tumhari Sullu

T series

Ashok Dube, another well-designed character, shows how a man in a household is able to make radical changes in his life and give the reins to his better half, if necessary.

His wife takes on the task of being an RJ at night who hosts a live show and talks to people, especially men, who become addicted to his voice. She is slowly starting to earn much more than Ashok and that, in one way or another, affects her. But he does not allow himself to be consumed by negative feelings and shows solidarity with his wife and his business.

Well, it’s a nice transition of roles that we have to celebrate.

Buy the story

5. Ayushmann Khurrana as Kartik Singh – Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan

T series

We have already talked a lot about this project in particular about how it challenged the stereotypes surrounding the LGBTQ community in our country.

Kartik is a character who is a breath of fresh air when it comes to portraying gay men in Bollywood. It shows how being gay doesn’t necessarily make a girl or a woman, which many people still think to this day, and that they are ordinary people who just want what other couples want – acceptance and recognition.

6. Arjun Kapoor as Kabir Kamlesh Bansal – Ki and Ka

Eros Now

When the film was released in 2016, people couldn’t help but raving about the progressive character of Arjun, a man who aspires to be a house husband.

For years we have seen movies with women taking over the kitchen and running the house, but here we have Kabir who has no qualms about doing housework and letting his wife win.

7. Amitabh Bachchan as Bhashkor Banerjee – Piku

Sony Entertainment Pictures

Our fathers are certainly liberal, but we cannot in any case engage in a conversation on our virginity with them. And then there is Bhashkor, who changes this notion because he does not hesitate to publicly accept that his daughter Piku is sexually active and he has no problem with that.

These characters make us want to celebrate men in a very different way and we are happy that Bollywood is evolving in a progressive direction through these brilliant characters.

Photo: T series (main image)