Amid ‘Dhurandhar 2’ Success, Imran Khan Says He Has No Interest In Playing “Hairy, Angry Man Covered In Blood”
Imran Khan has expressed concern over the rise of toxic masculinity in films.
Bollywood actor Imran Khan, the nephew of Aamir Khan, rose to fame by starring in several rom-coms. He is still remembered for his debut film 'Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na', which was released in 2008. Several years have passed since then, and the audience's taste has also changed. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, one has witnessed the rise of action flicks, and the biggest hits in Indian cinema in the last five years have come from this genre.
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'Pathaan', 'Jawan', 'Animal', 'Pushpa 2: The Rise', 'Dhurandhar' and 'Salaar' are some of the films that have enjoyed massive success in the country. There is one common theme among all these hits – the presence of action and blood.
However, Imran, who was recently seen in a cameo appearance in Vir Das’ ‘Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos’, is not interested in following the rat race. Amid the smashing success of ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, Imran said that he has no interest in “playing a hairy, angry man covered in blood”.
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On Wednesday, Imran hosted an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit, and it was then that a fan urged him to avoid “macho roles”. Replying to this request, the actor said, “Yeah, no interest in playing a hairy, angry man covered in blood. I think that genre is generously represented.”
The topic didn't end there, as another fan asked Imran how he would define masculinity at a time when the industry continues to present alpha guys as the standard for real men.
“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," he said in his reply.
Imran khan on Alpha men & toxic masculinity portrayal in movies nowadays! (via his recent reddit AMA)
by u/arina_0730 in BollyBlindsNGossip
Imran also responded to a user who expressed concern over mainstream Bollywood being loud and aggressive. He said, “Thank you! 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.”
Imran's debut in Bollywood coincided with the rise of both Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. After the failure of 'Katti Batti' in 2015, Imran took a break from acting while Ranbir and Ranveer emerged as the two superstars of the modern generation.
Coming back to Ranveer's recently released 'Dhurandhar: The Revenge', the film also stars Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi. It has crossed the Rs 600 crore mark in India in just seven days. Worldwide, the film has raced past the Rs 1,000 crore mark.
The film stars Ranveer as an Indian spy on a mission to dismantle the terror network threatening India.
Coming to Imran, he is yet to officially announce his next project after starring in a brief role in 'Happy Patel'. The spy comedy film was released in January 2026 and also starred Vir Das, Mithila Palkar, Mona Singh and Sharib Hashmi in key roles.
As per reports, Imran Khan is all set to make his much-awaited comeback in a Netflix rom-com, alongside Bhumi Pednekar.
