Ishaan Khatter has gotten candid about toxic masculinity and “female gaze” after his film Homebound was nominated for Oscar.
The Royals star recently appeared on the Yuvaa All Stars Roundtable 2025, in which he reflected on difference between men and women.
He said, “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 mother.”
Ishaan added, “Because I have been subject to the female gaze and I have been privy to it, I have understood it to some extent. Eight years of my career so far, I think I have worked with 50% female makers.”
He also admitted that being directed by female storytellers has helped him understand the female gaze.
The Dhadak star explained, “To understand a different perspective is a great strength, and that is what cinema is for. That is what we all do. The job is empathy.”
After staring his acting career in 2017, Ishaan has been directed by Mira Nair, Nupur Asthana and Priyanka Ghose, among others.
