For actor Sunny Kaushal, the definition of masculinity is ever-evolving. “It depends on how you feel and how you want to take it forward in your own way,” he muses.

On International Men’s Day today, Sunny admits that it took him time to break free from society’s notion of “boys don’t cry”.

“I’ve gone through the process of deconstructing this narrative in my head and understanding the conditioning with which society comes from,” the actor tells us, adding, “When men are taught not to cry, it tells them to suppress deep emotions, to prepare them to face the world. That’s what I grew up with, but I learned how to use it well, as it teaches you to become resilient.”

However, he acknowledges that this has resulted in the dismissive attitude around men’s mental health. The 35-year-old says, “Generational trauma kitna nikal ke aa raha hai. It forces you to think — are women the only victims of patriarchy? It’s men as well. It’s time that the stigma around men’s mental health is lifted and we are encouraged to be more vulnerable.”

The actor is also grateful for the positive influence that his dad, action director Sham Kaushal and brother, actor Vicky Kaushal had on him.

He shares, “Dad grew up in a patriarchal society in Punjab. But when he came to Mumbai, the diversity broadened his perspective.”

As for his older brother, Sunny confesses, “We are almost the same age and growing up, we would be at loggerheads. He was just my brother and I didn’t know how the world viewed him. It was when we became actors that I started seeing him in a different perspective; that’s when he became a man for me.”