Ranveer Singh bares it all: A look at the dearth of male sex icons and what an average Indian male looks like

On more occasions than one, we have found Bollywood honchos and the gatekeepers of the industry discuss at length if stardom exists. In an interview with Film Companion, Karan Johar gave his two cents on why he feels there would never be another superstar, at least not one like Shah Rukh Khan, primarily because of how accessible social media has made the current lot of actors. However, we rarely see them discussing just how rare sex symbols - particularly male sex symbols have become. Back in the 1990s when the music video for Alisha Chinai’s Made in India aired on television for the first time, all of us watched in awe. For girls (and those attracted to men), it was a sexual awakening of sorts - seeing Soman shirtless complete with a white dhoti is one of the earliest memories of many girls growing up, much like Meghna Naidu’s Kaliyon Ka Chaman is for young boys. Now that many 90s kids are grown up, they still look up to Milind for his well-maintained physique and his fitness regime. It will not be an exaggeration to say that after Soman, hardly any male actor or model came close to doing justice to the benchmark of sexiness set by him. There were many male actors in the aughts who became close to becoming male sex icons - In the early aughts, Hrithik was often called a Green God for his near-perfect physique and John was lauded for his near-striptease in Dostana. However, while both actors were good-looking, their popularity did fade eventually.

Hrithik, post his separation with Suzanne, did not appear in as many films and his popularity starning waning. John, too, met a similar fate after Dostana - he appeared shirtless in many of his action movies in the ‘10s but failed to leave a mark like he did in Shut Up and Bounce which showed a steamy and sultry side of the actor as he and Shilpa Shetty looked every bit stunning at a Miami beach. Neither Hrithik nor John could live up to sex symbol images that they had back in the aughts. Milind, surprisingly, outlived Hrithik and John’s images as sex icons through the last decade. However, the ‘10s didn’t give us many male sex icons to talk about. With Ranveer posing nude and baring all for Paper magazine, will he be able to break the jinx and emerge as the new-age sex icon? Ranveer: The Next Male Sex Icon? Will Ranveer be able to manage to break out and emerge as the next Milind Soman? It obviously is too early to reach that conclusion based on a single photoshoot. What’s particularly endearing, however, is that Ranveer isn’t too scared to experiment and go naked if need be. In the interview with the magazine, Ranveer says, “I can be naked in front of a thousand people, I don’t give a s***. It’s just that they get uncomfortable.” He isn’t afraid to get just physically naked but also emotionally naked and be vulnerable in front of the audience. “It’s agonizing to just exist. I am hyper-sensitive to everything around me, it’s just the way I am, it’s how I’m wired [he’s a Cancer>. I feel a lot more. If I’m angry, I get really f****** angry, if I’m sad I get really f****** sad, if I’m happy I get really f****** happy. It is very difficult, and I get overwhelmed on a daily basis,” adds Ranveer.

Needless to say, the ability to be physically naked and vulnerable is something that will definitely help him cement his image as a sex icon (that is, if he wants to do that). What also helps is that he isn’t afraid to experiment with his adrogynous fashion which often leads people to compare him with Harry Styles. Sex icon or not - his latest shoot with Paper magazine has definitely given him a head-start and a first mover advantage at becoming a sex icon of sorts - something which his contemporaries don’t have.

An Ideal Indian Male Body

One must also laud Ranveer and also Paper magazine for which he posed and give them due credit for showing what an Indian male body looks like. Contrary to how we see popular male actors, the likes of Varun Dhawan and Tiger Shroff, with near-perfect white skin sans blemishes and stretch marks, washboard abs, swollen pecs and chiseled jawline, Ranveer looks more raw and real in the pictures and comes close to what an average Indian male looks. Since time-immemorial, the portrayal of Indian men in movies has been problematic - somehow, all the leading men in movies have a well-built physique which can only be achieved after spending hours sweating it out in the gym and having protein shakes. An average Indian male finds it hard to relate to the unrealistic body and beauty standards set by some of the leading actors. However, Ranveer’s pictures for the magazine shoot come close to portraying the average Indian male and his body on the screen. While Ranveer does look well-built with broad shoulders and abs - the photos also look more realistic, less airbrushed and photoshopped and more close to reality. The almost unkempt body hair, rugged look and a stubble give the photos an earthy charm and make them seem less synthetic and more relatable.

What’s particularly applause-worthy is that Ranveer also looks like a Brown actor who isn’t afraid to show his Brown skin. In a time when actors go for skin-whitening to look good when being clicked by paparazzi but ironically apply a bronzer when playing the role of a small town boy - Ranveer isn’t afraid to own his Brown skin and embrace his body along with its imperfections. Imperfections make our bodies unique and it seems as if Ranveer knows it and wants to show the world that there’s nothing wrong with being one’s true, unabashed self. Somehow, it also matches the modern-syntax and seems immensely relevant in the present-day politics where fashion and moral police are extinct and it pays to be oneself rather than being someone one is not.

Is Ranveer the next male sex icon? Only time will tell. But one can safely say that Ranveer, through his photoshoot, has broken the preconceived notions about what an average Indian male looks like and that alone, is his biggest win.

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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