As hypermasculine, aggressive male leads continue to dominate Indian cinema, actor Siddharth believes there is still space for a softer, more subtle portrayal of masculinity on screen. The actor, who recently played Kargil war martyr Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja in ‘Operation Safed Sagar’, opened up about why he believes his kind of masculinity will always find its place in films.Siddharth addresses hypermasculinity in Indian cinemaAddressing the current trend of hypermasculine characters and where softer masculinity fits in while speaking to HT City, Siddharth said, “Maine apne career mein abhi tak har film mein mard ka hi kirdaar nibhaya hai, to zaahir si baat hai ki aage bhi wahi karne wala hun. So, agar abhi tak mujhe jagah mili hai, then my kind of masculinity will always have its place (I have played a male lead in every film of my career so far, so naturally, that is what I will continue to do. If I have found a place so far, then my kind of masculinity will always have its place).”He added, “Jis din nahin hogi, us din mujhe kaam milna band ho jayega. It’s about the intent, and if the creation is coming out of the right intent (The day it doesn’t, I will stop getting work. It’s about the intent, and whether the creation comes from the right intent).”Siddharth defending diverse portrayals of masculinityWhile rooting for subtler characters, Siddharth also defended the creative merit of hypermasculine roles, saying diversity in storytelling matters. He explained, “Actors will play any role given to them. It’s on the intent, how to show it. I see it in a positive way. When you are 100% sure about something and know the outcome, maybe you can afford to be a certain kind of masculine, the ‘mard ko dard nahin hota’ and ‘mard rote nahin’ type. Par yahaan kuch pata hi nahin hai agle second hona kya hai, so that makes our show a story of discovering oneself (But here, you never know what is going to happen the very next second, and that makes our show a story about discovering oneself).”Siddharth talks about the portrayal of masculinity in ‘Operation Safed Sagar’Reflecting on the show’s portrayal of masculinity, Siddharth noted that it stands apart because it follows young boys still discovering themselves. He said, “We talk about masculinity, but this is a story of boys. They are the youngest ever squadron to do the kind of things they did, the highest ever military operation in history, first time at night. It’s crazy. It’s a coming-of-age story for me as much as it is a story of bravery, heroism and masculinity. The way the Golden Arrows are depicted, it has the beauty of boys figuring out their bearings.”More about ‘Operation Safed Sagar’In the show, Siddharth plays the role of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja. Directed by Oni Sen, the series features Jimmy Shergill, Siddharth, Vinay Pathak, Manu Rishi Chadha, Abhay Verma and others. The show is based on Operation Safed Sagar, the code name for the Indian Air Force’s No. 17 Squadron operations during the Kargil War.It premiered on Netflix on August 7, 2026.
