Mumbai, June 25 : Veteran Bollywood star Anil Kapoor has shared what being an "Alphaâ?? really means and said it has never been about gender.

Anil, whose character in â??Alphaâ?? has so far been completely kept under wraps to protect important plot points, said in a statement: â??For the longest time, we've looked at cinema through labels - male lead, female lead, hero, heroine. But audiences have evolved, and so has storytelling. What excites me about Alpha is that it challenges those old definitions.â??

He added, â??Being an Alpha has never been about gender. It's about presence, conviction, courage, and the ability to drive a story forward. That's what audiences connect with today - main character energy, not categories.â??

Anil is hopeful that Alpha will find its takers because people now want to see new experiences in theatres.

He said, â??As a father, I've had the privilege of watching both my daughters champion stories and films that push boundaries and challenge conventions.â??

â??They've always believed in expanding what's possible for women on screen and I know they're rooting for Alpha because films like this have the power to open up an entirely new chapter for action cinema.â??

Anil hopes â??Alphaâ?? marks a larger shift in how we think about leadership and heroism on screen.

â??Instead of asking whether a character is a male lead or a female lead, perhaps it's time we simply ask: who is the Alpha? For Indian cinema, that's a powerful and necessary reimagining, and I'm proud to be part of a film that embraces it.â??

He concluded by saying, â??The future of cinema isn't about changing who gets to lead. It's about stopping the need to qualify leadership by gender in the first place.â??

Produced by Aditya Chopra and directed by Shiv Rawail, Alpha also stars Bobby Deol as the antagonist. Alpha is scheduled to release worldwide in cinemas on July 3.

/IANS