As the debate continues over hypermasculinity and moral ambiguity in Hindi cinema, Emraan Hashmi has worked with a perspective that neither dismisses criticism nor ignores the ground realities. In an interview, the actor reflected on why he loves movies Animal The spark of outrage has so far flourished at the box office, along with their hope for a more balanced cinematic landscape that includes strong female-led narratives.

in conversation with News18 ShoshaEmraan Hashmi addresses the growing discussion on social media “Toxic” masculinity in films. He said, “There is a huge uproar because social media and generally a woke culture has started around the world. What a hypermasculine man who is seen as toxic is doing in theatres. There is an uproar about it but people are buying tickets for it. Mainly our country is like that.”

Sandeep Reddy talking about Vanga’s commercial success AnimalDespite facing criticism, Imran said, “Why did a film like Animal work? Yes, there was a woke brigade working against it. There was a perception about it. But a lot of people were identifying with it,” suggesting that audience identification plays a key role in the box-office impact of such films.

He also believes that although these films will continue to dominate cinemas, there is still room for different types of stories. “There is room for women-centric films too, though not very much at the moment,” she said.

Emraan acknowledged that the hesitation to support women-led stories often stems from insecurities within the industry. “I’d like to see more women-centric films being made, but that’s easier said than done,” she said. He said, “Men are very insecure in our industry. How many people would have made such a film.” Right? Every story should showcase the victory of one person. I’m not blowing my own trumpet here. But even at that time, I had done a film like this The Dirty Picture. I liked the subject.”

Calling for introspection, the actor urged his colleagues to move beyond such apprehensions. “We need to get over our insecurities and do more things like this,” he said. However, he also accepted the existing dramatic formulas driving mainstream cinema. “But it’s very clear what’s going on cinematically today. As far as things are going dramatically, you need a hyper-masculine guy, a villain, tropes, clichés. It’s very clear that that’s what the audience wants.”

Describing the current moment as a “transitional phase”, Imran expressed optimism that the art of storytelling will eventually evolve, especially under the influence of streaming platforms. He shared, “OTT is fine. We are doing mixed things there – some are quite experimental.” Reminiscing about earlier changes in Bollywood. He said, “In the 90s, we innovated and entered the soft boy era. Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan came with romantic films. After that, there was a period of change. Films came and went and now, many films are creating a stir.”

On the work front, Imran is gearing up for his next film, Neeraj Pandey’s web series taskery.