Relatable, vulnerable yet strong: Male characters in D-Town films get a realistic makeover

A little over a decade ago, male leads in D-Town films played characters that were very different from what we get to see today. Hitu Kanodia, who has been a part of the industry for decades and played memorable characters in recent films like Nasoor, Kamthaan and 3 Ekka, tells us, “When I started doing Gujarati films, most leading men were like superheroes on screen. They would single-handedly beat up 100 people. Even how the heroes dressed up or spoke earlier was very different as filmmakers focused more on catering to the rural audience. But now, we are getting to see more realistic characters in our films. Filmmakers now focus on making the characters more relatable.”

‘The male characters we see now reflect today’s society’
Filmmaker Abhishek Jain, credited with giving Gujarati cinema a much-needed makeover with films like Kevi Rite Jaish and Bey Yaar, tells us, “Ever since I started watching films, I have seen men portrayed in different ways during different eras. In Gujarati films, the male characters we see now reflect today’s society. Of course, there are some very dark characters also in some films, but that’s because the crime rate is also high now. In my films, I try to portray characters that are not necessarily black and white, but there is a bit of grey too. I love characters that are a little vulnerable, but at the same time they are strong and authoritative. That fine balance needs to be there to make it convincing and realistic. We see all kinds of male characters these days in our films, and it’s no longer limited to a specific shade. We are getting to see more layered characters.”

‘Audiences no longer enjoy watching one-dimensional male characters’
Talking about how the audience’s preferences have also changed, filmmaker Vinit Kanojia, who has co-directed films like Lagan Special, Bachubhai, Reva and Vickida No Varghodo, tells us, “Audiences no longer enjoy watching just one-dimensional male characters; they appreciate layered characters. Earlier, more focus was on an actor’s comic timing, as makers mostly made comedies. But now, things are slightly different and sensible male characters are in demand. In the recent film Hahacar, all the male leads play hatke characters, and audiences loved it. Even Mallhar played a very different kind of character in Vanilla Ice Cream. It’s not just about lead characters, even supporting male characters are also getting to play a wide variety of roles.”

Right now, I am getting to play a variety of roles and thoroughly enjoying this phase of my career. I am glad that writers are focusing on making the characters realistic and filmmakers are ensuring that they (the characters) don’t come across as superficial

-Hitu Kanodia, actor

Chetan Dhanani in Reva

It’s heartening that men are getting to play diverse characters, be it really macho ones or exactly the opposite. What I played in Kasoombo or Samandar is very different from my roles in Reva and Dear Father. That way, you never feel typecast as an actor

-Chetan Dhanani, actor