An Unabashedly Toxic, Brutal and Problematic Mass Entertainer
Hindi Cinema, also known as Bollywood, has been fascinated by South Indian films for years. Starting from dubbed films to Hindi adaptations of popular South movies, the genre has now expanded so much that filmmakers from South India have started making full-fledged mass movies in the Hindi language that are released globally.
Following the success of Shah Rukh Khan starrer – Jawan, the latest mass entertainer from Hindi Cinema is the Ranbir Kapoor starrer Animal.
The film is written, directed and edited by Sandeep Reddy Vanga of Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh fame. After the brutal comments on the toxicity and violence in his past films, Vanga promised real violence to viewers and delivered just that with the 3-hour and 21-minute film, Animal.
The film follows the story of Ranvijay Singh Balbir, a young man who loves his father dearly. After a shooting incident leaves Balbir Singh injured, Ranvijay comes back to India from the USA to avenge his father and eliminate the enemies.
This journey ends up awakening an animal inside Ranvijay, something that leaves everyone, including his father shocked.
The first half of Animal is extremely well made and this keeps viewers pumped to see how the story unfolds. However, this well-exposed set-up turns dull immediately after the intermission. The film is long, really long and this runtime gets to you in the second half as you are left wondering if the film will ever get to the point.
Guns and bloodshed kept aside, the movie is not something a faint-hearted person can fathom. The film has so many problematic scenes and dialogues that make it a squirmy watch, especially for women who are treated as mere objects. The dialogue in this one is crass – but isn’t that what the makers promised from the trailer and promotional clips?
At its heart, Animal prophesies the unreasonable love and longing of a devoted son to his father. This love that Ranvijay has for his father knows no bounds and no one can stand in his way, not even his mother, his sister or his wife. We see the extent to which Ranvijay loves Balbir in the final moments of Animal, minutes before the end credits start rolling.
The film is toxic, problematic, male-centric and unabashedly so. Animal blatantly caters to the male audience which is not a bad thing. Makers can rightfully choose to make films that serve their interests. The film does not glorify this character and his evil doings but presents it as a flawed player who does not deserve any sympathy.
The title, Animal does full justice to the film because all we can see is a toxic brutal animal and nothing more. The character of Ranvijay is egoistic, narcissistic, and abusive which Ranbir Kapoor does a great job of portraying.
Many crass scenes in Animal could have been easily skipped but the inclusion of these in the final cut makes it difficult to draw the line between toxic and funny.
Performance-wise, Ranbir Kapoor does an amazing job as Ranvijay (Vijay) Singh and the jokes do not seem forced which makes it a hilarious and entertaining watch. Despite the long runtime, it is Ranvijay’s humour that makes the film an enjoyable watch. Other noteworthy performances come from Anil Kapoor who plays Balbir Singh and Rashmika Mandanna who plays Geetanjali, Ranvijay’s wife.
While there are a few other notable performances, Bobby Deol’s character as the antagonist – Abrar Haque was a treat to the eye. It is a pity that Bobby’s screen time in the film was as long as that of a cameo but he is one evil character many moviegoers would love to see more of.
The original soundtrack of Animal is bang-on and singles like ‘Papa Meri Jaan’, ‘Haiwan’, ‘Saari Duniya Jala Denge’ and ‘Arjan Vailly’ alongside the background score of the film are songs that will stay with you even after you leave the cinemas.
By not further delving into the problematic scenes and dialogue, Animal is a toxic bloodbath while also serving as a mass entertainer and fans of Vanga’s filmmaking would not have it any other way. Knowing the kind of influence that Cinema has over the minds of young and impressionable moviegoers, Animal ends on a fairly different note in comparison to Vanga’s other films like Arjun Reddy or Kabir Singh.
Animal is high on testosterone and brutally toxic, so people who do not enjoy crass humour can just avoid this one. The post-credits scene of the film promises another toxic treat in the form of Animal Park but we will first have to see how Animal ages and what moviegoers have to say about this one.
Read More: Animal Ending Explained
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Verdict - 6/10
6/10