Hot and unbothered

Jaideep Ahlawat has played both mafia boss and avenging cop. But lately, he's been giving off Pedro Pascal energy. How does he play it soft, sensitive, smouldering and sexy all at the same time?

- Kritika Kapoor

Jaideep Ahlawat is not your typical leading man. Sure, he's 6'1", has dreamy eyes and a brooding face. But it's not in a dipped-in-chocolate, gym-chiselled, Insta-ready way. And yet, his Instagram page (@JaideepAhlawat) is bursting with heart and fire emojis in the comments. “Your looks scream raw masculinity!!!” writes one woman, under a slideshow of him in a tux. “You've activated my daddy issues,” adds another young lady. Women from Dehradun to Dhaka (and as far away as Toronto) are simping, the way they only do for romantic heroes.

Ahlawat, 45, has a new movie out. Jewel Thief sees him playing a crime lord, overseeing a ₹500 crore diamond heist. His look is slick: Gelled-back hair, intense green lenses, gold chain, jacket unbuttoned all the way to his midriff. But he has surprisingly fluid dance moves too. No one had “Ahlawat pulls off a Vicky Kaushal-style dance number” on their 2025 bingo card, but here we are.

On Twitter, a user named @Vanshicant sums up Ahlawat’s spot in the zeitgeist well: “idk how to explain, but to me Pedro Pascal and Jaideep Ahlawat give off the same exact vibes”. You see it, don’t you? Both actors have played rugged, macho roles, but are somehow just as convincing when they’ve played soft, self-assured, introspective characters. They exude confidence without arrogance, and charm without trying too hard. They’re vulnerable. They laugh.

And, as if fans needed another reason to sweat, Ahlawat is also steadfastly downplaying the effect he's having on the world. “The Jewel Thief dance went a little viral,” he admits (the official video has more than 11 million views on YouTube since April). “But I don’t check social media often. I don’t track if people find me hot. There are compliments when a new release drops. But hotness is subjective.” Could Ahlawat’s appeal lie in the simple fact that he knows just what men need to be these days?