Bollywood actor Ishaan Khatter is gaining attention with his latest Netflix series, ‘The Perfect Couple,’ a murder mystery led by Nicole Kidman.
Known for choosing diverse roles to break away from the “nepo baby” label, Khatter shared how this experience was groundbreaking for him as a brown actor in Western media.
In an interview with BBC Asia’s Haroon Rashid, he spoke about being objectified as a South Asian man in the series.
In The Perfect Couple, Khatter plays Shooter, the richest Indian man who is portrayed as attractive — a rare representation of South Asian men in global cinema.
Rashid pointed out that while Indian women, like Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone, have been cast in glamorous roles, men from the region are not often shown as desirable.
Khatter agreed, saying, “Yes, I was objectified. It was one of the things that made the character unique and appealing to me.”
“It was a stepping stone and a moment in history in that sense. I just thought it was a cool character. It was fun to play into that, and I haven’t played a role like this even back home,” he added.
While Khatter’s role is admired for his looks, the actor also brought depth to the role. He explained that even though objectification was part of it, Shooter is a complex role, something often missing in Western portrayals of South Asian men.
“I never felt like I was playing a token diversity role,” Khatter said. “They were casting widely, and I saw the chance to dive into a three-dimensional character. And what a role it was.”
Khatter’s performance in The Perfect Couple marks a shift in how Hollywood portrays South Asian men.
