Page 3 and Hunterrr actress Hansa Singh, who has also appeared in noted OTT projects like Criminal Justice and Dispatch, believes it is time India pays serious attention to the emotional and mental struggles faced by men. As the world observes International Men’s Day on November 19, she opens up about stereotypes, silence, and the urgent need for real conversations.

Hansa strongly feels that men’s mental health has long been ignored because of the conditioning they grow up with. “YES… thanks to our amazing upbringing where ‘mard ko dard nahi hota’ or ‘boys don’t cry’ has created this false ego and, sadly, a dangerous reality,” she says.

According to her, men today are slightly more open about expressing their emotions, but the change is slow. “There is a slight shift that I see… still a long way to go. The West addressed this much earlier. Here, many still suffer because they don’t have anyone to talk to without being judged.”

She believes the support men need is often not available within their immediate circle. “If they could say it to friends or family, things would have been very different. The struggle is real. They need professional help — a shrink, a healer. Only if you seek will you find the right place to address your issues. Shying away is going to cause all sorts of health problems. Some men escape into drinking and smoking… and excess of everything is bad. So wake up and smell the coffee.”

Hansa also feels that while equality conversations often revolve around women, men’s emotional struggles deserve equal space in the dialogue. “It’s a long shot, but it’s happening. It’s time to change the narrative and bring out actual conversations. Women have been called the weaker sex in the land of goddesses — isn’t it weird? Decades of a decaying system have created a kind of fault in our DNA.”

For her, real strength lies not in suppression but in honesty. “Being compassionate and being vulnerable is one’s greatest strength. You are human first with all emotions; sex and gender come later. Boys should be part of the housework as much as girls. Parents — the first school of character building — need to instill the right values, including that boys can cry and men can feel pain too.”

Talking about her own mental and emotional balance, Hansa says, “It’s simple for me to disconnect and breathe. Being a healer helps the actor in me stay sane. But as a healer, I have clients with their problems too. Everything has a process, and patience helps.”