3 min readMumbaiMar 3, 2026 10:19 AM ISTSooraj Barjatya recently remarked that Prem and Kabir Singh are two sides of the same coin.Sooraj Barjatya is credited with discovering the ‘Prem’ within Salman Khan at the very beginning of the superstar’s career through blockbuster films like Maine Pyaar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Koun. However, over time, as the depiction of masculinity on screen has changed, so too have the kinds of male protagonists dominating popular imagination. Today, in the age of the alpha male, characters like Kabir Singh or Rannvijay from Animal capture audiences’ attention in ways that are drastically different from the rather gentle, romantic softness of Barjatya’s films. Yet, Barjatya believes that, to him, whether it is his incarnation of Prem or these ‘toxic male characters,’ they are two sides of the same coin.“They are representations of the same men,” he said in a chat with Hindustan Times. Explaining further, he added, “Itna pyaar to kare koi (Someone must love this passionately). If you look at it, whether it is Kabir Singh, Animal, Prem, or the protagonist from Sangamarmar (his next web series), but itna pyaar to kare. All of them have come through the journeys of their soul. They have their own upbringing and values. But essentially, it is the power of love. I feel they are two sides of the same coin.”Barjatya also addressed the criticism he often receives for portraying men who may seem idealised or unrealistic. He explained: “Every two to three weeks, people tell me such a world does not exist. Don’t give us this wrong hope. Girls tell me that their parents want this sort of guy for them, and yeh banne band ho gaye hain (These don’t exist anymore). But I say jitne pehle the aaj bhi hain (they exist today too). You just have to find them.”Also Read | Remember the fan who watched Saiyaara with an IV drip? Ahaan Panday claims he was on dialysis: ‘We were curious how this was happening’Interestingly, filmmaker Karan Johar recently weighed in on the current dominance of alpha-male energy on screens, pointing out that it is often women who are drawn to such characters. “I think a lot of movies have addressed women’s empowerment and the inequality between genders. Having said that, there is this alpha, misogynistic kind of film that is working. Is that counterproductive to those films? Because films made purely on feminism will almost always do less business than films that are about entitlement and alpha energy,” he told Sarthak Ahuja.Elaborating further, he said, “What really throws me off is the data. There are so many evolved, liberal women who speak out against these misogynistic, alpha-male films. But there are many more women who are watching these films, and loving them. When I research a hundred women, maybe 20 are offended, and 80 perhaps are not, even by films that could be considered offensive to women. Films that I would imagine my mother or my aunt might be offended by, but many women are not.”Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Kabir Singhsooraj barjatya