Siddharth defends softer masculinity as Indian cinema leans hypermasculine

Siddharth, star of the web series Operation Safed Sagar, says subtle, non-aggressive masculinity will always have a place in Indian cinema even as alpha male protagonists grow more common. Hindustan Times reports he played 1999 Kargil martyr Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, a soft-spoken officer, and called it an honour. The actor said he agreed to the project because the Air Force backed it and Ajay Ahuja's wife Alka permitted it.

He defended creative freedom in building aggressive male characters as providing diversity. Siddharth said intent matters and that the series shows young airmen discovering themselves, not the 'mard ko dard nahin hota' stereotype. Co-star Amrita Bagchi, who plays Alka Ahuja, told Hindustan Times that heroism belongs to both genders. She said the wife bearing the cost of uncertainty is as heroic as the soldier on the front line, adding that masculinity and femininity exist in everyone.