From starring in the critically-acclaimed Homebound, India's official entry to Oscars 2026, to being fawned upon by admirers in the popular web series The Royals, actor Ishaan Khatter is having quite a year.
At the NDTV World Summit 2025 session titled "Ishaan Khatter: Fierce, Fearless, Free", the actor was asked about being "objectified" in The Royals. In the Netflix show, Ishaan Khatter played Prince Aviraaj Singh, who is eventually crowned the King of Morpur.
His shirtless scenes became the talk of the town on The Royals, and the actor recently said there's no way he can "deny or defend" about being objectified after starring in the show. Directed by Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana, and written by Neha Veena Sharma, the series premiered on the streamer in May.
"It helped that there were women behind the camera so it was easy to lean on them and be like, 'Okay, how does a woman see a young man?' You think you understand your audience and have some sense... So, I thought I knew the demo and The Royals audience. I might not be 'it' but I know there's a huge audience for this space..." Ishaan Khatter said during his session at the NDTV World Summit 2025.
But what blew his mind was men's reaction to The Royals.
"I knew that it wouldn't be a romantic comedy catering to women but it would cater more to the female gaze. But the number of men who have walked up to me and said, 'I have watched you in The Royals three times over, is shocking."
Asked about how many times he took off his shirt on The Royals, Ishaan Khatter said, "I completely lost count.
"In fact at some point, I think they were just compensating for the lack of budget. It came to that. 'Yaar scene's not working, shirt utaar de'," he quipped.
Ishaan Khatter was last seen in Homebound, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan.
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