In recent years, popular culture has been filled with toxic and dangerous depictions of masculinitythat celebrate violence, hatred and misogyny. With the advent of the “Manosphere“On the Internet, men’s rights and issues are raised again and again in public forums, not as a call for radical care and vulnerability towards men or to protect male survivors of violence, but as a rallying cry against feminism and gender justice movements. The same narrative of male victimization is playing out around the world, but without any acknowledgment of the patriarchal power structures that enable and perpetuate this violence.
At this time, it is crucial to pause and reflect on the crisis of masculinity from a critical queer feminist perspective. With this thought in mind, noted designer Abhishek Roy, actress Anindya Chatterjee and gender studies scholar Professor Rohit K Dasgupta gathered at Kaldi Bean Cafe Kolkata on the afternoon of December 19 for a timely adda on masculinity in popular culture, fashion and cinema.
Poster shared by the organizers
From the timeless charm of Uttam Kumar to the energetic flamboyance of Dev, from the simple khadi kurta to a coveted Sabyasachi ensemble, from the traditional Bengali byamagar to energetic gyms, masculinity has evolved and changed in the last 50 years. Therefore, at this point we must look back at past cultures of masculinity and redefine what it means to be a man.
Cultures of masculinity through time: from film to fashion
The conversation on masculinity was framed like a quintessentially Bengali adda, a nod to the spirit of debate and discourse that is an integral part of our shared culture. Moderated by Dr. Debanuj DasGupta, professor of feminist studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara and co-owner of Kaldi Bean, the Adda covered myriad topics ranging from fashion and film to activism and responsibility. The discussion opened with an important question for the panel: What does masculinity mean to you?
While designer and curator Abhishek Roy associated masculinity with a sense of responsibility and responsibility and pointed out how different people adapt masculinity in different ways, Rohit Dasgupta, professor of gender studies at the London School of Economics, noted that masculinity has non-biological origins and is a disciplinary category and not a gender category. Popular Bengali actress Anindya Chatterjee discussed how media shapes discourses on masculinity and how cinematic cultures of masculinity have evolved over time, from Sylvester Stallone’s machismo in Rambo to Aamir Khan’s romantic persona in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. Chatterjee also addressed how masculinity is culturally constructed and varies from region to region, focusing on how Bollywood’s brand of masculinity differs from the masculinity portrayed by Uttam Kumar or Soumitro Chatterjee in classic Bengali films.
Popular Bengali actress Anindya Chatterjee discussed how media shapes discourses on masculinity and how cinematic cultures of masculinity have evolved over time, from Sylvester Stallone’s machismo in Rambo to Aamir Khan’s romantic persona in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
In addition, Rohit Dasgupta discussed how certain cultures of masculinity are the result of centuries of colonization, referring to Mrinalini Sinha’s seminal text “Colonial Masculinity”, in which the historian defines the figures of the “male Englishman” as a contrast to the “effeminate Bengali” in the late 19th century. To further this point of discussion, Debanuj DasGupta examines how caste and class in the South Asian context often influence cultures of masculinity, with the figure of the upper class and the upper-caste bhadralok lord taking precedence, particularly in the Bengali cultural imagination.
Abhishek Roy, the founder of Roy Calcutta, a fashion house that has dressed major male celebrities such as Saif Ali Khan and Sourav Ganguly, spoke about how prevailing cultures of masculinity influence men’s clothing choices in today’s era, where Ranveer Singh chooses to dress in conventionally “feminine” shades of pink and stereotypical “feminine” silhouettes like the anarkali, which is the average man’s clothing choice Indian influences male. Abhishek Roy also spoke about the launch of his new men’s collection with fluid, gender-neutral silhouettes, an attempt by the designer to reshape cultures of masculinity.
Masculinity today: from personal to political
Beyond fashion, cinema and culture, the discussion also highlighted contemporary politics and highlighted how Hindutva hypermasculinity in modern times is a toxic reaction to the colonial era’s disempowerment of the Indian (Hindu) man. In this context, Rohit Dasgupta also referred to Tristan Bridges’ conceptualization of “hybrid masculinity,” which, while attempting to combat traditional hegemonic masculinity, reinforces existing inequalities and maintains patriarchal power rather than radically dismantling it, a trait often embodied by seemingly “progressive” men on the left. Rohit Dasgupta, a Labor politician, explained how men on the left need to hold each other to account and discussed how misogyny in the South Asian diaspora is an issue he regularly addresses in his political practice.
Photo shared by the organizers
Actress Anindya Chatterjee, who was particularly vocal during the 2024 mobilization against the brutal rape and murder of a junior doctor in the Kolkata premiere RG Kar Medical Collegediscussed his experiences with solidarity and activism as a man in the context of gender justice movements. In his discussion, he also spoke about the need to address rape culture systematically and not through reactionary methods. One of the guests at Adda, Shamita Das DasGupta, a veteran gender rights activist and co-founder of Manavi in 1985, picked up this thread of discussion and highlighted the futility of carceral feminism and the need to dismantle rape culture first from the family, the basic unit of society, as that is where rape culture and violence begin.
Speakers also discussed how male survivors of sexual violence are often silenced and inadequately protected by a society that bases communal honor solely on a girl/woman’s reproductive body, to the extent that male survivors themselves are conditioned to deny the reality of their abuse. Anurag Maitreyee, intersectional gender rights activist and one of Bengal’s most prominent trans voices for justice, discussed how toxic masculinity and gender roles are inculcated in impressionable young minds through lullabies, fairy tales and fables, perpetuating this inequality from a very young age. Anurag Maitreyee, a guest at Adda, proposed a novel form of activism that is intersectional and inclusive, emerging from a “solidarity of pain” in which all genders come together in a struggle that is united and divided, rather than fragmented and exclusively identity-based.
Brewing dissent: Third spaces shape cultural discourse
The discussion on masculinity at Kaldi Bean Cafe was eclectic, spanning politics, culture and art. Featuring feminist and transqueer voices, the afternoon Adda invigorated guests and speakers with a new zeal for activism and artistic expression that advances social justice and transformative gender change.
Featuring feminist and transqueer voices, the afternoon Adda invigorated guests and speakers with a new zeal for activism and artistic expression that advances social justice and transformative gender change.
When we talk about the need for informal yet informed discussions like this one in a café or coffeehouse, a third space historically linked to dissent and debate throughout Ottoman and European history, Dr. Debanuj DasGupta says, “Kaldi Bean was conceptualized by three friends: Anasuya Gupta, Amit Sharma (designed by AS) and me, Debanuj DasGupta, as a space for adda and creative ideas.” The discussion on masculinity was the first in a series of other such upcoming “Ideas About Cappuccino” sessions, curated by the founders as a place for the exchange of ideas between scholars, practitioners and café-goers, in a nod to the revival of the original Ottoman-era coffeehouses where coffee and conversation flowed freely.
From left to right: Debanuj DasGupta, Anasuya Gupta and Amit Sharma. Photo shared by the organizers.
“It was heartwarming to see Kaldi Bean become a liberating space today as activists, academics and artists came together to discuss gender and sexual politics over steaming cups of coffee and hearty plates of litti chokha and champaran mutton, a special item curated by Amit Sharma (co-owner of Kaldi Bean) for today’s Adda. We look forward to having more discussions of this kind in this space on a range of topics and share ideas and thoughts with our community,” added Dr. DasGupta added.
Ananya Ray completed her Masters in English from Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India. As a published poet, intersectional activist, and academic author, she has a keen interest in gender, politics, and postcolonialism.