Actor Ahan Shetty believes that the most significant transformation in the first 25 years of the 21st century has been the increasing honesty in filmmaking. He observes that stories are now driven more by emotion and relatability rather than solely by star power and grand spectacles.
Evolution of Cinema
Reflecting on cinema’s evolution, Ahan, the son of Bollywood veteran Suniel Shetty, expressed, “I think the biggest change has been how honest films have become. Earlier, a lot of storytelling was built around stars and spectacle. Now even the bigger films try to come from a place of emotion and relatability.”
He pointed out that past narratives often relied heavily on larger-than-life elements. Today, however, even big-budget films strive to connect with audiences on a deeper emotional level.
Audience Engagement
“Technology has definitely changed the scale and reach, but what really surprised me is the audience today. They’re far more involved, they analyse everything, question choices, and really invest in the process,” he remarked.
Ahan believes this shift has elevated expectations for performers. Actors can no longer depend solely on surface-level impact.
“As an actor, you can’t rely on surface-level impact anymore. You actually have to mean what you’re doing on screen,” said Ahan.
Ahan’s Journey
Ahan began his acting career with the romantic action drama film Tadap in 2021, directed by Milan Luthria, and co-starring Tara Sutaria. This film was a remake of the hit Telugu action film RX 100.
He is now poised to appear in the much-anticipated film Border 2, directed by Anurag Singh. The film features an impressive ensemble cast including Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahan Shetty, Medha Rana, Mona Singh, and Sonam Bajwa.
Produced by Bhushan Kumar, JP Dutta, and Nidhi Dutta, Border 2 is set to release in theatres on 23 January 2026.