As hypermasculine and aggressive male characters continue to feature prominently in Indian cinema, actor Siddharth believes there remains space for a softer and more nuanced portrayal of masculinity on screen.
The actor, who recently portrayed Kargil War martyr Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja in the series Operation Safed Sagar, said his approach to masculinity will continue to have a place in films as long as stories are created with the right intent.
Speaking to HT City about the current trend of hypermasculine characters and where more subtle portrayals of masculinity fit in, Siddharth said he had played male characters throughout his career and would continue to do so.
“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 said.
He added that the changing nature of cinema would ultimately determine whether such portrayals continued to find an audience.
“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 said.
While advocating more nuanced portrayals, the actor also defended the creative value of hypermasculine characters, saying that cinema should allow room for different forms of storytelling and masculinity.
Siddharth said actors would take on the roles offered to them and that the manner in which a character is presented depends largely on the intention behind the story.
“Actors will play any role given to them. It’s on the intent, how to show it. I see it in a positive way,” he said.
He explained that certain forms of traditionally masculine behaviour may make sense within specific stories, particularly when characters are confident about their circumstances and outcomes. However, Operation Safed Sagar explores a different kind of masculinity because its young characters are confronted with uncertainty and situations they have never experienced before.
“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. But here, you never know what is going to happen the very next second, and that makes our show a story about discovering oneself,” he said.
Reflecting on the portrayal of masculinity in Operation Safed Sagar, Siddharth said the series stands apart because it focuses on young men who are still discovering themselves while confronting extraordinary circumstances.
“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,” he said.
For Siddharth, the series is therefore not only a story about military courage, bravery and heroism but also a coming-of-age narrative.
“It’s a coming-of-age story for me as much as it is a story of bravery, heroism and masculinity,” he said, adding that the depiction of the Golden Arrows carries the beauty of young men trying to find their bearings.
In Operation Safed Sagar, Siddharth plays Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, who was a member of the Indian Air Force during the Kargil War.
Directed by Oni Sen, the series also features Jimmy Shergill, Vinay Pathak, Manu Rishi Chadha and Abhay Verma, among others.
The series is based on Operation Safed Sagar, the codename for Indian Air Force operations carried out during the Kargil War. It premiered on Netflix on August 7, 2026.