Arjun Mathur is a Bollywood actor making a name for himself on the hit new Amazon series Made in Heaven. The show follows two wedding planners from Delhi who run an agency called Made in Heaven. Mathur plays Karan Mehra, the openly gay lead.
The series is Amazon’s fourth Indian original series and has proven to be such a hit that it was picked up for a second season just one month after the Season 1 premiere back in March.
Since then, Mathur has seen his popularity skyrocket and he’s enjoyed a steady uptick in social media followers, particularly among gay men.
“Nobody ever came up to me and asked if I’m gay,” he recently said in an interview. “I have played gay characters twice before–in Onir’s film I Am, and Mira Nair’s short film Migration.”
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He continues: “In real life, it’s understood that I’m an actor. But on Instagram, people want to know if I’m gay. After Made in Heaven, I have been receiving messages of all kinds from downright dirty to appreciative to ‘marry me.’”
While this is all very flattering, Mathur says he still hasn’t quite figured out how to navigate the situation, especially the “dirty messages.” (We regret to inform you that he’s straight.)
The 37-year-old adds that he’s also had people reach out to say his portrayal of a gay man has helped to open their hearts and minds about LGBTQ people.
“A 35-year-old mother of two wrote to me saying that homosexuals always made her a little uncomfortable,” he explains. “But, the show totally changed her outlook, and now even if both her kids grow up to be gay, she’s going to love them and be proud of them.”
“So, the depth at which [my portrayal of a gay character] has penetrated and touched people, is amazing. To be able to touch people like this is very special.”
Scroll down for pics from Mathur’s Instagram page but, please, refrain from sending him any x-rated missives…
dbmcvey
An actor playing a gay character is not “doing gay for pay”, it’s “doing his job.”
Chaz
This is not a case of “gay for pay.” It’s called click bait. Thanks Queerty!!
pharaon.em.joe
I agree with this.
Goforit
I suspect that is Queerty’s point exactly. The headline not only got us to read the article, but also to comment on it. Objective achieved. Thanks for proving that click bait works.
Cam
I think it was meant as a joke.
Black Pegasus
Why the collage of Instagram photos though? Was that really necessary or were you trying to sexually objectify this ‘heterosexual’ to your gay readers?
nitejonboy
We should all be so lucky.
Topazme
he’s a very good actor….you guys should watch “made in heaven”….his portrayal was amazing
batesmotel
Gay for pay is a phrase for straight men that do gay porn for money. This guy is an actor that played a gay character twice is all. I have noticed that some gay men assume the actor must be gay as well which just means the straight actor played it well.