How do men feel when they are objectified, as women often are? Prateik Babbar and Rajeev Siddhartha seem quite chipper about it. The actors are in a unique spot in Four More Shots Please!, surrounded by women behind and in front of the camera. Both joined the Amazon Prime Video show in 2019 when the streaming revolution was just taking off. They were not sure where this show, with its candid conversations on women's bodies and sexuality, would go. But they took a leap of faith, encouraged both by the production house (Pritish Nandy Communications led by the formidable Rangita Pritish Nandy) and the platform (Amazon Prime Video led by Aparna Purohit). The result? Two memorable male characters who seem to be the stuff of women's fantasies, not in the least because they've been written that way by show constant Devika Bhagat. Babbar says he loves playing Jeh Wadia, now into his third season on the show. "I love his clothes, his aura, his little world," says Babbar, who plays the owner of the bar where the four leading ladies of the show first meet. "Plus he came into my life when I was particularly fragile," says Babbar of a career that has seen failures and successes. Since his debut as the irritating brother of the heroine in Abbas Tyrewala's Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na (2008), Babbar has seen critical hits like Kiran Rao's Dhobi Ghat (2011), and some big disappointments as well, like Ekk Deewana Tha (2012). His second innings, where he's been everything from a misguided terrorist in Mulk (2018) to the romantic Jeh, has been a delight. Siddhartha, who has done a lot of theatre in Mumbai, acknowledges the draw that his character, Mihir, has for women, as someone who just won't give up on love. "It's even influenced the way I think," he says. Both realise the show doesn't ride on their shoulders but it has given them an audience in more than 200 countries. Add to that it's a new frame of reference, with even the head of the lighting department being a woman. "I love being part of the girl gang and how they've accepted me," says Babbar. This season, the two of them are joined by yet another hunk, Jim Sarbh. This season is directed by Joyeeta Patpatia. Anu Menon and Nupur Asthana directed the first two seasons.

Aishwarya Lekshmi

An Excess of Emotion

Playing the Hunks