November 19 is celebrated as International Men’s Day. The day is significant in raising awareness around men’s health, throws light on their contribution and accomplishments, and also encourages them to set the right example for society. Made In Heaven 2 actor Nikhil Khurana speaks on International Men’s Day.
“Honestly, I am not much into celebrating men’s day. I am more into ‘nongender day’ basically, where we celebrate all genders. This is the division created by society, men, women and all. I believe we are part of one species, one planet, and oneness in a way. So I don’t see life like that,” says the actor, who is all set to debut in the film ‘Sanna’ alongside Radhika Madan. The film is directed by National Award Winner Sudhanshu Saria.
Women express themselves and also talk about their emotions whereas men do not. Also, for ages we have been hearing that men don’t cry.
“Men and women are the same so I don’t see them as some different species with different traits. If you want to not express and deal with it on your own then it’s completely fine. Even if you choose to share it with others then it’s fine too. But don’t get drowned in your emotions. Like I said earlier, pain is inevitable and you don’t need to suffer because of it. When you accept your pain it starts healing. I am the kind of guy who doesn’t like to express my feelings to the world, I keep my emotions to myself. I have my mechanisms to deal with it. I respect people’s choice of sharing or not sharing their emotions with the world,” he adds.
On men not expressing their emotion, he says, “If you ask me, it’s true at times. Being a man I feel that the reason why men don’t express themselves is that, they feel if you talk about your pain again and again, it increases. So I think being a man is about just accepting the pain and not choosing to suffer. Pain is inevitable and suffering is a choice. So you don’t need to talk about it much. Sometimes I also go through my emotions and when I over-talk about it I feel that I am giving it power. So I would rather go through that pain by myself and cry by myself. I will get over it because I know my goal is to move on and not to suffer through these emotions. It’s better to not get drowned in your emotions. It’s good that some men talk about their emotions in public and some don’t want to talk, so I think we should let each person choose how they want to express it. Let’s not generalize men or women. Let the person express the way they want to express themselves,” he says.
It’s being said that there is much hype around International Women’s Day. But such is not the case with Men’s Day. “I don’t believe in men’s day or women’s day. But I think Women’s Day still makes some sense because they have been undermined for centuries if you go through history. They need to be celebrated more than men. It would be nice if there was a better understanding of the world. I think we can work together, there’s no division here. We must celebrate non-gender day where men and women get united and work together towards a better future. I would respect that. I think our world needs more people who accept both genders with their different traits and love them equally,” he ends.