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Upon its December 2023 release, Sandeep Reddy Vanga's directorial venture, Animal, made a significant impact at the box office, storming in from its very first day. The movie, featuring a stellar cast including Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor, and Triptii Dimri, shattered numerous box office records.
Despite receiving praise from some, the movie faced criticism for glorifying toxic masculinity. Javed Akhtar expresses concern about the success of films like Animal, deeming it dangerous for such narratives to dominate the box office.
Javed Akhtar on Ranbir Kapoor starrer Animal
While speaking at the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival in Aurangabad, Javed Akhtar talked about the kind of films that are emerging as successful today. Without directly naming Ranbir Kapoor starrer Animal, Javed Akhtar said, “Agar koi film jisme ek aadmi ek aurat se kahe 'tu mere joote chaat', agar ek aadmi kahe 'iss aurat ko thappad maar dene mein kya kharaabi hai?' wo picture superhit ho to badi khatarnaak baat hai. (If there’s a film in which a man asks a woman to lick his shoe, if a man says it’s okay to slap a woman, and the film is a super hit, that’s dangerous).”
He made a reference to Ranbir’s controversial scene in Animal wherein his character asks Triptii Dimri to lick his shoe to prove that she truly loves him.
Javed Akhtar on popularity of song Choli Ke Peeche
Javed Akhtar further added that many people come up to him and tell him ‘aaj kal kaise gaane hone lage hain? (What kind of songs are being made today?)’. He then shared how despite the controversial lyrics of the song Choli Ke Peeche from Khal Nayak, the song had become a massive hit back in the 90s.
Javed Akhtar said that 1 person wrote the lyrics, 2 people composed the song, 1 cameraman shot for the song, while 1 choreographer arranged the song. A handful of people were involved in the making of the song, but the problem isn’t these people who made the song. He said that the problem lies in the fact that the song became a superhit, and was loved by crores of people. That is what is scary.
Javed Akhtar says the onus is on the audience
Javed Akhtar further explained that the onus is on the audience, for the kind of films they watch and make successful. “Ek bahut badi zimmedari cinema banane walon se zyada, cinema dekhne walo ki hai. Yeh aapki zimmedari hai. Yeh aap tai kijiye ki kaisi filmein banegi, aur kaisi filmein nahi banegi. (A bigger responsibility lies on the audience. You decide what kind of films should be made, and which ones shouldn’t). He concluded by saying that the ball is in the audience’s court.
About Animal
Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar’s T-Series, Murad Khetani’s Cine1 Studios and Pranay Reddy Vanga’s Bhadrakali Pictures have backed Animal. It has been directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Pranay Reddy Vanga and Saurabh Gupta. The film delves into the intricate dynamics of a tumultuous father-son relationship
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