When actor Kirti Kulhari cut her hair short, it was a surprise to her fans. While many loved her new avatar, there was one section of the audience who made assumptions about the actor’s sexual orientation because of her new hairstyle.

Kirti shared that her decision to cut her hair wasn’t about starting a trend but was simply something that felt right at the time. She told Bollywood Bubble in an interview about how she received messages from women saying she had inspired them to do the same and was surprised by how a small action could have such a big impact.

However, she also addressed the societal pressure surrounding haircuts and the expectations imposed by family members. When asked about a particularly shocking comment she received, the actor recalled, “The day I wrapped up the shoot of Hisaab Barabar, I went home and chopped my hair off. When I did, I started getting comments suggesting that people were expecting me to come out as a lesbian. They were saying, ‘She’s going to come out of the closet and announce it soon—just because of her hair.’ So, if I have long hair, I’m not a lesbian, but the moment I cut it, you assume I am? Because your attachment to someone being a homosexual is how she keeps her hairstyle. I was rather amused by the way people see what you do through their lens.”

You’ll see me a lot this year,” promises R Madhavan when we call him to speak about Hisaab Barabar. The ZEE5 thriller is his first project of what will be a busy year, with De De Pyaar De 2, a rom-com with Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Dhurandhar in the pipeline. Incidentally, each of his characters is different.

“I want to do roles that I can relate to. I’ve had such varied life experiences that I know how a railway man behaves, as well as how someone in Decoupled [2021] does. My wife says, ‘You’ve done a comedy in English, dramas in English and Tamil, and action. Why can’t you make up your mind about who you are?’ That’s exactly who I am, someone who can’t make up their mind,” he laughs.

What drew Madhavan to Hisaab Barabar, also starring Kirti Kulhari and Neil Nitin Mukesh, is the story’s relatability. Ashwini Dhir’s directorial venture revolves around how a ticket collector uncovers a bank scam.

“History has seen that the moment the regime starts derailing the common man’s life, [he will fight back]. This has been explored beautifully in the film,” shares the actor. 

After Hisaab Barabar, Madhavan will star alongside Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna and Arjun Rampal in Dhurandhar. The actor’s filmography is peppered with ensemble films despite the industry’s perception that they pose a risk to one’s stardom. Mention this, and he simply says,

“Imagine all the ensemble films that I’ve done. Now, imagine me not doing a Rang De Basanti [2006], or 3 Idiots [2009] or Vikram Vedha [2017]. Whose loss would it have been? Even though my role in Rang De Basanti was only for nine minutes, being part of such projects adds to my immortality as an actor. In 3 Idiots, I was playing second fiddle to Aamir Khan. But it didn’t upset my stardom in Tamil [cinema]. These are barriers that people in the industry draw around themselves to protect their own insecurities. I don’t have such insecurity.”

Madhavan recalls being advised against being a part of Anbe Sivam (2002) with Kamal Haasan. “Everyone said, ‘He is not known to share credit.’ But he bent over backwards to make sure that I got the role of a lifetime,” he recounts.