Bobby Deol's character is misogynist in 'Animal', not Ranbir's: Sandeep Vanga

Sandeep Reddy Vanga's latest film 'Animal' has stirred controversy due to its portrayal of misogynistic characters. In an exclusive interview, the director clarifies that Bobby Deol's character is the misogynist, not Ranbir Kapoor's.

In Short

• Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 'Animal' faced criticism for portrayal of misogynistic characters.
• Vanga revealed in an interview that Bobby Deol's character is the misogynist in the film, not Ranbir Kapoor's.
• Despite criticism, 'Animal' is one of the highest-grossing films of the year with Rs 850 crore worldwide.

Ever since director Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 'Animal' was released, it has received mixed reactions from both critics and audiences. The film faced criticism for its extreme violence and portrayal of misogynistic characters. Despite being one of the highest-grossing films of the year, it failed to satisfy critics. Now, in an exclusive chat with India Today. in, the filmmaker revealed that he has become immune to criticism. He also stated that Bobby Deol's character Abrar is a misogynist character.

SANDEEP VANGA: NEVER EXPECTED SUCH STRONG REACTION FOR 'KABIR SINGH'

This isn't the director's first encounter with criticism; previously, he faced backlash for his film 'Kabir Singh'. Once more, he's received backlash for depicting toxic masculinity and excessive violence in 'Animal.

Speaking to India Today.in, exclusively Sandeep Reddy Vanga responded to the criticism. He said, "I was called narrow-minded, pervert, jerk, these are the words used. Many expect me to be quiet, but this is horrible. It's become a habit now. I don't care any more. I was shocked when it first happened with 'Kabir Singh' because I did not get any negative reviews for Arjun Reddy. That film was loved like anything in the South but here (Bollywood) I was shocked. It was the same film I had just copied and pasted the whole film in Hindi, I never thought I would get such a strong reaction. But with 'Animal' I was expecting this kind of reaction, also these critics are so lazy they couldn't use any new words. They just copied Kabir Singh's review and pasted it for 'Animal'."

When asked if these comments bothered him, the filmmaker said, "No, it doesn't bother me. Look at the box office numbers and the love people are giving me, that's enough. Having said that, the way here some critics talk about the filmmaker's intention is sad, many criticise my film in a very nice way, 'they point out this was wrong, this was okay and I don't think this can happen, and then the final verdict'. I am happy with such critics but then there are some who write, you should not waste your time and money to watch the film."

"This is not the way to do it. This kind of behavior is pathetic. I was shocked at first by all these things, but now I am immune to this, it happened during Kabir Singh only," exclaimed the director.

BOBBY DEOL'S CHARACTER IS MISOGYNIST IN 'ANIMAL'

Talking about the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer, Sandeep further added, "Actually in 'Animal' the misogynist character is Bobby Deol's, not Ranbir Kapoor. He commited a domestic rape and so if people will talk about that character I would say okay, it's there, it's a fact, but don't say that Ranbir's character Ranvijay is a misogynist character, Arjun Reddy, Kabir Singh is misogynist, it's nonsense. What's there you talk about that, no one is stopping you. Despite Abrar being an abusive husband his three wives loved him so much that they still protected him in the end. However, these critics only focused on Ranvijay's character and Kabir Singh's character calling them misogynistic and abusive. Which is what I don't understand and like."

Animal which was released on December 1 featured Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna, and Tripti Dimri among others, The film has garnered Rs 850 crore worldwide.

Published By:
shweta keshri
Published On:
Dec 26, 2023