India, June 2 -- The current trend in Hindi cinema sees intense romances or films with hypermasculine, alpha male protagonists pull in the biggest crowds at the box office, as seen by the success of films like Dhurandhar series and Saiyaara (2025). Amid this, Vedang Raina is set to star in filmmaker Imtiaz Ali's epic romance Main Vaapas Aaunga. Ask the actor if the current trend gives his film an upper hand and he says, "Something works because the audience accepts it regardless of what is working in reality apart from that film. And then you think it's the genre that is working. If the film is good, the genre works, not the other way round." But with only a few genres pulling in big bucks, it can limit the options for young actors like him. On this, the actor elaborates, "Dhurandhar is quite a unique film for its time but now people think it's the genre that is working. Firstly, hypermasculinity is not a genre. I don't think it is the reason a film works, it works because it has great content. Amid this, a 12th Fail worked and I don't know what category it falls in. So, at the end it's about the content that is working and the hope is that the content is timeless and it doesn't fall into a bracket of genre working. Our film has come from a very pure and genuine place, and I like to believe that this is the reality that something coming from the heart connects with the audience." Vedang is just two films old with The Archies (2023) and Jigra (2024) under his credit, but he is among the most sought-after leading men from this generation of actors. Does the pressure and scrutiny that comes with the expectations bother him? "I don't consider myself big yet, I'm just starting out and I'm just privileged to even be part of an Imtiaz Ali film. These are things that were beyond my imagination even about five years ago. I try to put things into perspective for myself sometimes," he says. He reveals that had acting not worked out, he already had other professional plans in place. "Five years ago, my job placements were ready. If I didn't land that Archies' audition, I was close to getting work experience and probably doing a masters degree. I need to remind myself of that sometimes because right now I don't feel successful. I don't feel like I've even begun and I think of what the Vedang five years ago must have felt. So, I need to remind myself every day that I have a long way to go and I want to achieve certain milestones as an artiste, but I'm also proud of where I've reached today," he says. In Main Vaapas Aaunga, while Vedang doesn't seem to share screen with actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, he feels honoured to just be part of the same project as him. With both of them having an acting and singing background, he does feel inspired by the Punjabi artiste. "I'm inspired by Diljit the artiste since I don't know how long now. In terms of acting, I'd seen Udta Punjab (2016) and he was amazing. But somewhere when I saw Chamkila (2024), it blew my mind and I was so in awe of who he is. I can only take inspiration from it but I don't consider us in the same league at all. He is a real singer-actor and I do this for passion. I'm lucky that I'm getting an opportunity to do it but I can only look at him in awe. Every time he goes up on stage and represents our country, it's a matter of pride for all of us and we feel somehow that Diljit is the type of person that you see his victory and you feel happy. You feel very happy for his success and he's taking our culture all over the world," he ends. ....