MEN OF HYDERABAD: REDEFINING MASCULINITY IN 2025

By Ridhima Bhangay

There was a time when masculinity meant silence, the kind that came from swallowing emotion, carrying responsibility, and mistaking endurance for strength.
But 2025 looks different. The world is softer, louder, freer =and so are its men.

Across Hyderabad, a quiet evolution is unfolding. The city’s men are no longer racing to prove themselves; they’re learning to understand themselves. In the stillness between ambition and awareness, they are finding what it means to be whole men who lead with empathy, create with purpose, and live with depth.

Hyderabad, with its peculiar blend of calm and chaos, has always been a city that lets you breathe. Its charm lies in how easily it balances heritage and hustle, grace and grit, tradition and tomorrow. Perhaps that’s why it has become the ideal canvas for this new kind of man, one who embodies contradiction with ease: still yet moving, grounded yet restless, gentle yet relentless.

This International Men’s Day, Tulip Magazine sits down with five such men dreamers, doers, and believers each redefining masculinity on his own terms, each carrying a piece of Hyderabad’s warmth in his stride.

Karan Bhangay — Concierge Owner

For serial entrepreneur Karan Bhangay, being a modern man is synonymous with openness liberal thought, emotional honesty, and a life rooted in balance. “Masculinity today,” he reflects, “is having a soft heart and a strong body strength that protects rather than dominates, and sensitivity that connects rather than weakens.”

Hyderabad, for him, is more than a city it’s an emotion that has shaped his values, pace, and perspective. “This city taught me to slow down, to savor conversations, food, and laughter,” he shares. “It’s given me emotional intelligence, not just business sense.”

A lifelong athlete, Karan finds his discipline and resilience through sport. “Consistency beats talent, that's what sport teaches you,” he says. “My goals aren’t external anymore; they’re a way of life.” Grounded by his family, close circle, and his two boys, Gulzar and Rumi, Karan finds simplicity to be his antidote to chaos.

For the next generation, he hopes masculinity will stand for grace, humility, and restraint “strength that’s silent, patient, and compassionate.” His definition of success isn’t measured in accolades, but in balance. “I just want to live fully as a father, a friend, a husband and a creator. True fulfillment,” he says, “comes when every role you play feels whole.”

With his characteristic humor and warmth, Karan carries Hyderabad wherever he goes in his leadership, his lightness, and his humanity. “The culture you come from shapes how you show up in the world,” he concludes. “And Hyderabad will always remind me to stay grounded, grateful, and kind.”

Rehan Guha — Hospitality Consultant

For Rehan, masculinity is balance personified. “Being a modern man means being strong enough to lead, vulnerable enough to reflect, and confident enough to fail without fear.”

Hyderabad has been both muse and mentor. “It embraces everyone every language, every culture. That openness taught me to accept people as they are.”

He sees masculinity as responsibility not performance. “It’s about being accountable to yourself, your craft, and your people. Courage, empathy, and honesty that’s the kind of masculinity we need.”

On the tougher days, he finds solace in silence. “I walk, I write, I reflect. It’s not about escaping the challenge, but understanding it.”

And if he could define masculinity for the next generation? “It would be about empathy and courage to listen, to change, to stand up for what’s right. There are no fixed gender roles, only fixed mindsets.”

Aamer Javeed | Politician

In an age defined by flux and contradiction, Aamer Javeed embodies quiet conviction, the kind that balances tradition with progress, intellect with empathy. As Vice President of the Indian Youth Congress (Telangana) and Chairman of the Research Department, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, he belongs to a generation of Indian men redefining leadership through listening, and ambition through awareness.

“Being a modern man in 2025 isn’t about dominance or display, it’s about depth,” Aamer says. “It’s about having the strength to be gentle, the confidence to admit vulnerability, and the courage to question inherited ideas. Masculinity today is no longer a posture, it’s a practice rooted in empathy, respect, and responsibility.”

Hyderabad, he adds, has shaped him in profound ways. “This city is my compass tcalm yet restless, traditional yet forward-looking. It’s taught me balance between heritage and ambition, between silence and voice.” Its pluralism, he believes, has given him the empathy to lead with inclusion and the humility to stay grounded.

“There’s something in Hyderabad’s air, a humility wrapped in quiet pride,” he reflects. “People here don’t just chase success; they build community. That spirit of togetherness is what I carry wherever I go.”

For Aamer, politics is not performance; it’s purpose. “If your work doesn’t uplift others, it isn’t really worth doing,” he says. “Politics, done right, can change lives, not just policies.” On tougher days, he turns to faith, family, and silence. “Every morning, I spend a few minutes in quiet, no phone, no noise. It reminds me that clarity precedes contribution.”

When asked how he’d redefine masculinity, Aamer’s response is simple yet powerful:

“To me, masculinity should mean care the courage to be kind, the discipline to be fair, and the grace to admit when you’re wrong. The next generation should inherit compassion, not rigidity.”

As a leader, he hopes the decade ahead will raise “men who listen, men who nurture, men who build bridges, not hierarchies.”

“Hyderabad’s warmth teaches you to lead with heart,” he concludes. “Its sense of belonging teaches humility. Wherever I go, whether Delhi or a small-town outreach, I carry that Hyderabadi grace with me. It’s not just where I’m from; it’s who I am.”

Apoorv Chaudhary— Creative Entrepreneur

“The kind of man I’m trying to be,” Apoorv begins, eyes sharp with thought, “is one who doesn’t think masculinity has to mean being strong in the traditional sense. It’s about being tuned in self-aware, still wild, still ambitious, but deeply in touch with your emotions.”

In a world that rewards speed and stoicism, Apoorv stands quietly apart grounded yet restless, confident yet contemplative. His version of masculinity isn’t loud or performative; it’s fluid. It listens before it speaks. It creates before it competes. As a creative entrepreneur, he’s constantly balancing instinct with introspection learning that ideas, like people, need space to breathe.

“The brainstorm, the breakdown, the moment something average becomes magic that’s what I live for,” he says. Every project, for him, is a test of endurance and empathy of staying curious long after the applause fades. In his world, creativity isn’t chaos; it’s choreography.

Hyderabad, he admits, has played a quiet but defining role in shaping that rhythm. “It’s home,” he says with a kind of calm certainty. “The city has this soft hustle, not as loud as Mumbai, not as distant as Delhi. But it moves. People here care. There’s a warmth that lets you grow without losing yourself.” That gentle pulse mirrors his own way of being measured, thoughtful, and in tune with emotion.

Apoorv’s work often blurs the lines between art and leadership. He doesn’t just create campaigns; he curates worlds. His team, he says, is both mirror and motivation. “My team is my purpose. I want to build something that lasts longer than a campaign,” he adds. For him, success is not the spotlight but the story the people who build it with him, the culture it leaves behind.

His vision of the modern man feels almost revolutionary in its simplicity. “Less ego. More empathy,” he says softly. “I want boys to know it’s okay to care deeply, to cry, to build and still feel lost sometimes. Real masculinity is emotional intelligence it’s not about having all the answers, it’s about being human enough to ask the right questions.”

In a generation obsessed with arrival, Apoorv celebrates the process — the becoming. His masculinity doesn’t need validation; it finds power in presence. He’s proof that vulnerability can be leadership, and that in an age of noise, stillness can be strength.

Apoorv Chaudhary creative entrepreneur, storyteller, and quiet disruptor — is not redefining masculinity; he’s rehumanising it.

Sahil Taiyebi — F&B Entrepreneur

Sahil’s idea of masculinity is old-school grit with a modern twist. “People say masculinity has changed that it’s not about dominance or strength anymore. But to me, those qualities still matter. A man must step out, work through everything, and provide for his family, for his team.”

Yet he’s not immune to softness. “Men should be free to express vulnerability and empathy just without losing control.”

Hyderabad, he says, shaped him deeply. “This city doesn’t sleep and neither do I! We work hard, we eat well, we take our time. Every problem here comes with a ‘dekhlingay’ attitude and that’s something others should learn from us.”

Sahil runs an empire that employs over 200 people, but his sense of responsibility runs deeper than numbers. “That’s 200 families 800 people. Their salaries, healthcare, children’s education. That’s what drives me.”

His roots keep him humble. “People think I had it easy, but I started at the bottom cleaning, making chai, doing dishes. I learned everything before leading anyone.”

And for the future? “Men should have control but also know when to let their partners take charge. Keep that little alpha alive but define it with respect, not ego.”

Jaidev Reddy— Actor/Entrepreneur

“The modern man,” Jaidev says, “is strong but gentle, ambitious yet grounded, confident yet humble a balance of old-school values and new-age vision.”
For him, Hyderabad isn’t just a backdrop to his story; it’s been a quiet mentor, shaping his sense of pace and purpose. “It’s a relaxed city,” he reflects. “It gives you time and space to think, to breathe, to build.” In a world that glorifies hustle, he finds strength in slowing down, in letting things unfold with patience and clarity.

An actor, entrepreneur, and now the mind behind a growing sportswear label, Jaidev’s journey is defined by movement both physical and philosophical. His brand, he says, is an extension of his personal mantra: to keep moving, no matter what the day brings. It’s about the rhythm of showing up for your goals, for your people, for yourself.

“I’m a very detached person,” he admits with a quiet honesty. “Every victory and every defeat feels the same when I wake up the next morning.” That sense of equilibrium of not being swayed by the highs or the lows is what keeps him grounded in a world that’s always chasing more.

To Jaidev, masculinity isn’t about dominance or display. It’s quiet, it’s steady, it’s built on consistency. It’s in the discipline to keep going when no one’s watching, in the humility to stay soft even while being strong.

Raziel — R&B Artist & Actor

For Raziel, masculinity is empathy in motion. “Being a modern man is about being aware, grounded, and seeing things as they are without judgment.”

He credits Hyderabad for shaping not just his sound but his soul. “The actor in me found himself here. My R&B comes from the lowkey days in Hyderabad discovering who I am, performing for people who genuinely shaped my music.”

Raised between Bombay’s rush and Hyderabad’s rhythm, Raziel calls his hometown a grounding force. “There’s a rawness here that’s hard to find anywhere else. People are still in touch with their roots it keeps me humble.”

He pauses, then smiles. “The true joy is in giving something back to the place that made you. That’s what drives me not recognition, but contribution.”

For him, faith and purpose intertwine. “I’m drawn to Shiva his stillness, his surrender. That energy keeps me grounded. When the dream is huge, fighting is the only way to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

To sum it all

There’s something quietly powerful about hearing men speak of softness. Of patience. Of empathy.
In every conversation whether it was about ambition, artistry, or identity a pattern emerged: the modern man is not in competition with the world anymore; he’s learning to make peace with it.

What started as a Men’s Day feature unfolded into a reflection on balance between tradition and transition, between the need to lead and the grace to listen. These men, each in their own orbit, are reimagining masculinity not as a role to perform, but as a rhythm to live by.

From entrepreneurs who build with heart to artists who lead with emotion, from fathers teaching gentleness to young men still finding their footing they all echo the same truth: strength doesn’t have to be loud. Confidence doesn’t have to silence kindness. And success means nothing without a sense of self.

Hyderabad, in many ways, becomes a silent character in their stories a city that allows space for both hustle and heart. Its air carries ambition, yes, but also an unhurried grace that lets men breathe, feel, and grow. Perhaps that’s what makes this city, and the men who call it home, so different they’ve learned that progress can still have a pulse, and purpose can still have poetry.

As these voices merge, one thing becomes clear: being a modern man in 2025 is not about chasing perfection. It’s about presence. About knowing when to build, when to break, and when to simply be.

So here’s to the men who are rewriting the definition of masculinity one honest conversation, one kind gesture, one balanced breath at a time.
Because maybe the real evolution of manhood isn’t about becoming stronger, but about becoming more human.