Jun 20, 2026 8:12pm IST
From Ahaan Panday to Vedang Raina, Actors That Could Restore the ‘Soft Boy’ Era in Indian Cinema
The world right now is dark and full of terrors. And it doesn’t help that films today are more interested in propping up hyper-masculine, violence-toting heroes over the sweet, romantic lead who could win his lady love and her family’s heart through undeniable good looks and sheer charm. So, where have the soft boys of Indian cinema gone? And does the new generation of actors have it in them to raise a new era of soft boys?
What makes a quintessential soft boy?
The “soft boy” goes a little beyond the “chocolate boy” epithet that was used to describe actors like Joy Mukherjee (who might’ve been the first actor to be given that label), Rishi Kapoor, Aamir Khan and Shahid Kapoor when they made their debuts. It’s an internet-era dating slang term for young men who subvert traditional masculinity tropes and have no qualms expressing their emotions, vulnerability and sensitive, feminine side. They are also allies and will defy patriarchal expectations as well as violence as a form of gender affirmation and dominance.
The word “softboi” can also be used to call out men who manipulate women using the soft boy aesthetic, which includes being sensitive, emotional, a feminist ally, intellectual and dressing in gender-fluid fashion.
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The soft boy eras of Indian cinema
When Rishi Kapoor made his debut with “Bobby” in 1979, his cherub-like facial features, innocent mannerisms and style of romance made him a phenomenon. The 80s and 90s saw the Hindi film industry transition from the domain of the angry young man into the arms of the lover boy.
Actors like Kumar Gaurav (“Love Story”), Vivek Mushran (“Saudagar”), Jugal Hansraj (“Papa Kehte Hain”) and even the Khans that continue to rule the roost—Aamir Khan (“Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak”), Salman Khan (“Maine Pyar Kiya”), Shah Rukh Khan (“Deewana”) and Saif Ali Khan (“Aashik Awara”)—began their careers playing romantic leads that defied the conventional “hero” tropes.
Much like Ken’s job in “Barbie” was just “beach”, these soft boys’ job was just “love”. They sang romantic songs, their rebellion was love, not violence and their features were more cute than angular, hot or sexy. They were occasionally bratty and definitely not as sensitive as the male leads we see on screen today. But they were different from the heroes that had come before.
A major turning point was Shah Rukh Khan as Raj, who won Simran and her family over in “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge” through sheer force of love. The soft lover boy became the default debut vehicle for future aspiring stars, from Bobby Deol (“Barsaat”), Hrithik Roshan (“Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai”) and Vivek Oberoi (“Saathiya”) to Riteish Deshmukh (“Tujhe Meri Kasam”), Shahid Kapoor (Ishq Vishk), Ranbir Kapoor (“Saawariya”) and Imran Khan (“Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na”).
Where have the soft boys gone now?
The school of romance had much to teach. But the last batch of soft boys was perhaps “Student of the Year” alums, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra, who went on to do some more romance films, Ayushmann Khurrana, who sang his way to our hearts with “Vicky Donor” and a slew of small-town romances and Aditya Roy Kapur, who played the lovable goof in “London Dreams”, “Action Replayy” and “Guzaarish” before he became the intense stud of “Aashiqui 2” and “Fitoor”. Ironically, even in the South film industries, most newcomers chose romance before swiftly shifting to violence-led macho roles, like Vijay Deverakonda, who debuted with “Pelli Choopulu” before doing “Arjun Reddy”.
But cinema has always been reflective of the times we live in. The pendulum has swung again. The disdain for feminism and the rise of incel culture re-ushered the era of the angry young man. There was a shift towards championing hyper-masculinity and resorting to gory violence to make a point, even when the point is love. A new generation of heroes, which included Tiger Shroff (“Heropanti”), Sooraj Pancholi (“Hero”), Ahan Shetty (“Tadap”), Harshvardhan Rane (“Sanam Teri Kasam”), Lakshya (“Kill”), Adarsh Gourav (“The White Tiger”) and more, chose serious drama and action-romances for their debut.
Ironically, the male actors from the 90s were the original soft boys – Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and Saif Ali Khan. Followed by the next brigade in the 2000s: Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Akshaye Khanna, and Arjun Rampal. Then came Ranbir Kapoor, Imran Khan, Varun Dhawan, and Siddharth Malhotra. In the last two decades, they’ve all opted for action over pure romance or light-hearted rom-coms. There’s a burning need for a new lot of actors, more in sync with the sense and sensibilities of today’s audience, to play soft boys for a younger generation that feels lost in matters of love and dating and deserves better celluloid role models.
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Soft boys for the new generation
The soft-spoken romantic hero is around, but perhaps just an underserved category. Every other day, a millennial on X manifests a return to the Imran Khan era of light-hearted urban rom-coms. The love for “Saiyaara” and “Mismatched” and the global frenzy around young adult titles like “Heated Rivalry”, “Off Campus”, and romance book adaptations like “People We Meet on Vacation” has established that the largely ignored female demographic hungers to see more soft boys on screen to counter rampant incel culture in real life. And as Reese Witherspoon said in one of her interviews, the abysmal dating culture is a direct result of dwindling rom-coms that would give the younger generation social and dating cues.
And yet, there remains hope. Here’s a list of 10 young actors, whose looks, charm and filmography make a strong case for them to usher in the next era of soft boys in Indian cinema, should they play their cards right.
Ahaan Panday
There’s a softness to Ahaan Panday’s Krish Kapoor, a lover and a caregiver in “Saiyaara”, as he channels his angst into his music and not into his actions, subverting audience expectations of being the toxic bad boy. His next includes an action-romance and another romance that reunites him with Aneet Padda and Mohit Suri.
Rohit Saraf
Saraf’s Rishi from “Mismatched” is easily the most accurate example of a soft boy who isn’t afraid of verbalising his feelings, making grand romantic gestures and letting the woman take the lead. He continues to pick characters that center romance.
Vedang Raina
The pivot his Reggie does in “The Archies” and his measured performance in Imtiaz Ali’s partition love story, “Main Vaasa’s Aaunga,” prove that Raina has the soft boy aesthetic down pat.
Abhay Verma
To have the ladies crush on his Bittu even when surrounded by all the horror in “Munjya”, Abhay Verma clearly works the sweet, innocent vibe well. His next is Shah Rukh Khan’s “King”, and it remains to be seen if his soft-boy charm will work a second time.
Agastya Nanda
Another “Archies” alum, Agastya Nanda’s soft looks and latest stint in “Ikkis” as a 21-year-old martyred soldier spreading the message of love, not war, cement him as a potential pallbearer of a new soft-boy era.
Ayush Mehra
Ayush Mehra is quite a favorite for the internet generation that loves getting its dose of romance from shorts on Instagram and YouTube series like “Please Find Attached”. It also helps that Mehra looks the part, too.
Rohan Gurbaxani
Another actor from the web series domain who has the soft boy look is Rohan Gurbaxani, thanks to his stint in the mini series “Suit Yourself”, Prime Video’s “Bandish Bandits” and his part opposite Ananya Panday in “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” (even if he broke her character’s heart!).
Amol Parashar
He may have played the young revolutionary Bhagat Singh in “Sardar Udham”, but Amol Parashar continues to reprise characters on screen that are soft, gentle and sensitive but can surely flirt in titles like “Feels Like Ishq”, “Dolly Kitty Ke Chamakte Sitare”, “Gram Chikitsalay” and more.
Ritwik Bhowmik
Ritwik Bhowmik’s sweet, innocent, but burning-for-his-one-true-love Radhe from “Bandish Bandits” remains a character that you’d inevitably fall for. He tops it up with his Parth from “Modern Love Mumbai”, whose easy chemistry with Masaba Gupta makes him a perfect contender for the soft boy we need.
Yashvardhan
Govinda’s son, Yashvardhan, has already begun amassing a fan base with his charming looks and is about to make his debut with a romantic film directed by Sajid Khan, and produced by Ektaa Kapoor.
Naslen
Naslen has the naïve, chocolate boy looks and has represented the modern lover boy in Malayalam films like “Premalu" and “Lokah Chapter One: Chandra”.
Rohan Vinod Mehra
Rohan has the looks to ace the soft boy aesthetic, but the "Baazaar" and "Kaala" actor is yet to play a lover boy on screen.
Vihaan Samat
Vihaan’s roles on "Mismatched", "Eternally Confused and Eager for Love" and "The Royals" get him a ticket to the soft boys club.
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