India, Dec. 29 -- In a day and age when a lot has been said and written about the hypermasculine depiction of Indian film heroes, Ishaan Khatter is among the few actors of his generation who have repeatedly played leading men with more sensitive tones. In a recent interaction, the actor discussed how his career has been shaped by female makers and the female gaze.

Appearing on the Yuvaa All Stars Roundtable 2025, Ishaan talked about his understanding of masculinity. "Men are not taught to be men; they're just taught not to be women. A lot of my understanding of what it means to be a man is in correlation with the relationship between men and women. Masculinity, to me, has been defined by the fact that I have been raised by a single mothe...