Inside Ishaan Khatter’s playbook: From Hugo Boss to Nicole Kidman — and why he believes money can’t fake confidence

Dubai: I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t proud of myself," Ishaan Khatter says over the phone, his voice calm, confident, and annoyingly self-aware — the kind of tone that could sell both philosophy and perfume.

He’s not wrong to sound pleased. The 29-year-old actor has just joined the global Hugo Boss campaign, a gig that puts him in the same orbit as K-pop idols and Marvel demigods. For a boy from Mumbai, that’s not just a career flex — it’s a cultural statement.

"It’s definitely a milestone," he admits.

“To see the kind of representation that I myself hadn’t gotten to see as a youngster, and being able to forefront that is a feeling of great pride for me.”

Translation: The brown boy made it to the big table — and he didn’t need to wear a sherwani to get there.

Khatter is the new face of what global stardom looks like when you add intelligence, self-deprecation, and just the right amount of abs.

He’s that rare Indian actor who’s equally comfortable quoting Shah Rukh Khan and out-cooling Hollywood at its own game.

Boss moves only

For Khatter, the partnership isn’t just about tailoring and taglines — it’s timing.

"Even the ethos of this brand is ‘Be your own boss,’” he says. “And I think it aligned with me at a time that couldn’t have been better. It’s cool for them to take a heritage brand — one that usually has legends like David Beckham or Chris Hemsworth as the face — and turn the spotlight on young people who are vying to make their own place in the world.”

It’s the most Ishaan thing ever: turning a fashion gig into a manifesto.

He’s not a billboard model; he’s the brand’s philosophical upgrade — ambition with context, hustle with humanity.

Luxury, decoded

Khatter has a knack for reframing clichés. Even “luxury,” that overused word dripping with status and silk linings, gets a cultural makeover in his voice.

"Luxury is beginning to represent more than just status," he explains. “It’s now beginning to represent aspiration as well. The world’s becoming a smaller place, and India is being looked at as a market to invest in. I’m excited to see not just the world coming to India, but also India going to the world in a big way.”

For a generation that buys values before clothes, he’s fluent in the new luxury dialect: purpose, not posturing.

The perfect accent

Then comes The Perfect Couple, the glossy Netflix murder mystery that quietly made Ishaan a global name — and, crucially, not as the token brown dude. His role was ethnically ambiguous, refreshingly free of the usual “diversity hire” box Hollywood loves to tick.

"Thank you for saying that,” he says when told his Indianness wasn’t his defining trait.

“The Indianness was not the defining factor — and that’s something one has gotten used to seeing when it comes to Hollywood representation.”

Khatter plays Eli, a character originally written as a white teen named Shooter Huxley.

"When I got there — in Cape Cod, which is the whitest of all places in the world — I was the only person of colour," he recalls. “Never have I been in a situation like that in my life before. But I saw the potential of it in the script.”

He also insisted on speaking like his peers.

"Susanne [Bier director] thought maybe I should sound different, but I said, ‘Why would I?’ My character went to the same boarding school as everyone else. So I decided to do the standard American accent. That’s what made me blend in seamlessly. I’m just glad I had that kind of agency.”

It’s the kind of creative self-possession most actors spend decades faking. Ishaan just… had it on arrival.

Khatter plays Eli, a character originally written as a white teen named Shooter Huxley.

"When I got there — in Cape Cod, which is the whitest of all places in the world — I was the only person of colour," he recalls.

“Never have I been in a situation like that in my life before. But I saw the potential of it in the script.”

He also insisted on speaking like his peers.

"Susanna [Fogel, the director] thought maybe I should sound different, but I said, ‘Why would I?’ My character went to the same boarding school as everyone else. So I decided to do the standard American accent. That’s what made me blend in seamlessly. I’m just glad I had that kind of agency.”

It’s the kind of creative self-possession most actors spend decades faking. Ishaan just… had it on arrival.

No faking required

"You can’t design your career,” he says, matter-of-factly. “You’re a product of the opportunities you receive. For example, Neeraj Khan’s Homebound — that’s a director I wanted to work with for 10 years. It’s perhaps the most challenging role of my career so far. A deeply humanising film, and in a world that’s becoming more divisive, that’s rare.”

Then the line that could double as a thesis statement:
"I’m just trying to chase authenticity. I don’t have the fake-it-till-you-make-it strain in me. I’m trying to become who I am and share that with the world rather than blend in.”

Hollywood, take notes.

Metabolism as metaphor

Khatter laughs when the topic veers toward his now-famous torso.

"The irony of asking somebody that who had two French toasts for breakfast!” he shoots back.

"I’ve been dancing and moving since I was a kid. When I was a pre-teen, I started doing callisthenics and parkour. The thing that gives you a high metabolism is holding muscle. You have to push against resistance, like you do in life. Consistency comes back to you. I’m not chasing shortcuts. I try to do what I love because that’s what’s sustainable.”

Somewhere between the French toast and the philosophy lies a perfectly modern mantra: abs fade, consistency doesn’t.

The Kidman curriculum

"She doesn’t take it for granted,” he says of Nicole Kidman, his co-star from the hit Netflix series 'The Perfect Couple'.

“We were working for about a month before she started shooting, and when she came in, she had the energy of a young actor. It riled up the set. She commands respect, but she’s as switched on as someone hungry and sincere.”

He describes her like a film student dissecting genius.

"Before going into shots, she was ad-libbing, warming up, throwing balls my way — and I loved that. She had her dialect coach with her every day, even though she’s been doing the American accent for years. You forget she’s Australian. She doesn’t take her craft for granted.”

And then:
"She comes from the Kubrick school. No idea is allowed to be rejected till it’s tried. I saw her practice that. She would totally flip the script and try something different — it threw everyone off, and it was so much fun. I like to apply that myself.”

Consider him officially enrolled in the Kidman Academy of Excellence.

Directors, democracy, and doing the work

"I think I was perhaps spoiled by Majid Majidi,” he confesses. “He recognised my soul as an artist. He gave me agency — and that’s rare. The film was written by Vishal Bhardwaj, but Majidi didn’t understand the language, so he told me, ‘You figure it out yourself.’”

That freedom became his creative north star.

"This is a collaborative medium,” he says.

“No one person can bring out a film alone. I like to work with people who bring out the best in me, and hopefully I can do the same. Ultimately, it’s one person’s vision — you have to service that — but it helps when you can bring your best self to it.”

It’s the democracy of cinema, explained without the TED Talk.

Forbes, finance & foresight

"I actually didn’t know I was on it,” he says of his Forbes 30 Under 30 mention. “I saw Ananya [Panday] post about it, and I was so happy for her. Two hours later, someone told me I was on the list too.”

Then, dry as ever:
"That list isn’t about being rich — it’s about people making a mark globally. But financial security is important for any young person who wants to make their own decisions. The lack of finance is crippling.”

He even pulls out a perfectly timed SRK quote:
"Become rich before you become a philosopher.”

He laughs, then adds, “I’ve seen my fair share of financial downships. It sets you up to be a fighter. If you’re secure financially, you can take risks. You can get behind what you believe in. I’m not financially motivated. But that’s why it’s important for me to be financially secure — otherwise, I’d run myself into the ground.”

That’s not hustle culture — that’s survival, pressed, polished, and perfectly tailored.

The bigger picture

What makes Khatter fascinating isn’t just talent; it’s restraint. He’s patient in an industry that worships speed.

"I’m chasing excellence,” he says simply. “And I want my success to come through that. If it takes longer, so be it. But I want to give it my best shot.”

He’s proof that you can be ambitious without being loud — a rare flex in 2025.

Before hanging up, I mention that my peers -- delighted that we are going to have a chat -- across continents called him “the hot new Hugo Boss guy.” He laughs, modest but clearly delighted.

"I felt so proud,” he says. “To be representing India on that stage — it’s a matter of pride.”

And then, one last line that feels like his thesis statement:
"Hopefully, I’ll keep learning, keep evolving, and keep delivering on that promise."

Which, if you think about it, is the ultimate boss move!