In an era dominated by brooding superstars with chiselled torsos, all-consuming rage, and a penchant for violence being celebrated as “mass appeal,” actor Arunoday Singh has questioned this pop culture trend by delivering a refreshing counter-narrative in ‘Maa Behen’ – a sweet, empathetic cop .
The Netflix film, starring Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, and Dharna Durga, has struck a chord with audiences for blending social issues with crowd-pleasing entertainment. At the heart of this is Arunoday’s character, a soft-spoken police officer, which stands in stark contrast to the hyper-masculine, testosterone-fuelled depiction of law enforcers common in Hindi cinema .
‘Softness is not opposed to masculinity’
In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, Arunoday opened up about the importance of playing a character like Maheshwari amid the “Dabangg and Singhams” of Bollywood. He revealed that this refreshing portrayal was a major reason he signed the film after being selected through auditions .
“I loved it. That is part of the reason why I said yes… I loved how he was. Softness is not opposed to masculinity, they are not mutually exclusive,” he said .
Taking a veiled but direct dig at the wave of aggressive, vengeful heroes who have dominated the box office—from ‘Kabir Singh’ and ‘Animal’ to the ‘Pushpa’ and ‘KGF’ franchises—Arunoday stated that this trend has simply gone too far .
“I do think that we have gotten too much of this hyper masculine… it is just ridiculous past a point. It is fun for a bit, but I think you need to portray various levels of masculinity and how men are,” he added, noting that his character in ‘Maa Behen’ was “a real sweetheart” .
His comments come at a time when critics and audiences are increasingly questioning the glorification of misogyny and patriarchal violence in mainstream cinema . Recent scholarly analysis has pointed out that films like ‘Kabir Singh’ often “celebrate the masculine ego and its toxicity in relationships, vehemently justifying horrendous acts of violence against a partner” . Similarly, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’ has been accused of “reinforcing the patriarchy” and utilizing female characters merely to glorify “Brahmanical patriarchal values” .
The ‘Gentle Giant’ and a ‘Beautiful Mess’
The casting of Arunoday, known for his towering physique, in a role that subverts the “angry young man” trope was a deliberate choice by director Suresh Triveni. Speaking to Scroll.in, Triveni revealed, “I cast Arunoday Singh because I wanted a gentle giant. He’s always been typecast. I felt that he would be endearing as Maheshwari” .
Triveni described the film as a “beautiful mess,” blending dark humor with sharp commentary on consent and the stigma faced by single mothers . In a world where an actor’s physicality often dictates a limited range of aggressive roles, Arunoday’s performance as the kind-hearted cop proves that masculinity on screen is finally allowed to be vulnerable, empathetic, and simply “sweet.”
