“It’s ok to be vulnerable” shares Vikrant Massey on Fatherhood

In an industry that often celebrates strength and stoicism, Vikrant Massey, a National Award winning actor, has quietly emerged as a voice of emotional honesty. Now stepping into a new and deeply personal chapter as a recent father, Vikrant brings with him not just joy, but reflection, challenging age-old ideas of what it truly means to be a man and a parent.

Opening up about fatherhood, Vikrant shared, “But there is a story on the other side also… jo dad guilt ki aap baat kar rahe ho of course, again conceding ki hum ek chothai bhi nahi karte, but bahar jaana, woh fathers ko bhi lagta hai… Toh kyuki ek conditioning hai ki aadmi jayega, bahar jaake paise kamayega, ghar chalayega, security provide karega, jo protector jo ek tag, jo role play diya hua hai, mere saath bhi kitne baar aise hota tha & I’m not defending myself but I also want to reach out to most men who are listening to us here today, saying ki it is normal for you to miss home. Toh bahar jaake kahi baar aisa hua hai ki hum sirf videos dekh rahe hai, har aadhe ghante mai ek video call kar rahe hai, sirf bolre hai sirf uski shakal deekha do… bhale he woh swaddle ke andar aise so raha hai… toh woh na aadmi actually own up nahi karte… because unfortunately humare yaha jo conditioning hai, yaha bhi ek conditioning hai ki ‘be a man” specially the men who are probably listening to us & watching us right now, it’s ok to be vulnerable, it’s ok to be wanting to go back home… it’s ok to sort of open up your phone, go through those videos & probably shed a tear.” (The dad guilt you’re talking about, of course, it exists. Again, I admit that we (men) don’t even do a quarter of what mothers do. But every time we step out, fathers feel it too. Because we’ve been conditioned that a man goes out, earns money, runs the house, provides security. That’s the role and label we’ve been given, the protector. This has happened to me many times as well. And I’m not defending myself, but I also want to reach out to most men who are listening to us today. I want to say that it is normal for you to miss home. It is normal for you to feel this way. You can be the one who stays at home too. There have been so many times when I’ve been outside, just watching videos, making a video call every half an hour, just saying, ‘Show me their face once.’ that’s something we go through too. Because unfortunately, there is conditioning here as well, this idea of ‘be a man.’ To all the men who are listening and watching us right now, it’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s okay to want to go back home. It’s okay to open your phone, go through those videos, and maybe even shed a tear.)

Through this deeply personal reflection, Vikrant highlights an often-unspoken truth, while fathers may not always be physically present, their emotional world is just as intense. The societal expectation for men to be providers often distances them from openly expressing their feelings, creating a silent struggle between duty and desire. His words break that silence, normalizing the longing, the guilt, and the quiet moments of love that many fathers experience but rarely articulate.

As we celebrate fathers everywhere, Vikrant’s perspective reminds us that fatherhood is not defined solely by responsibility, but also by vulnerability and emotional presence. To all fathers, your love, even in its quietest and most unspoken form, is powerful, valid, and deeply meaningful.