Javed Akhtar on Ranbir Kapoor's 'Animal' success: 'Dangerous when a movie where a man asks a woman to lick his shoe...'

A month later, Ranbir Kapoor and Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film Animal still continues to attract attention in cinemas and on social media, and even celebrities’ interviews. The latest name to speak about the film is Javed Akhtar. The veteran writer and lyricist was invited to be a part of the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival (AIFF) where he spoke about Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film. He said, “It’s very dangerous when a movie, in which a man tells a woman to lick his shoe, and believes that slapping a girl is normal, works at the box office.” He added, “People tell me that they are not liking the songs of recent times. But only 5-6 people are responsible for the making of the song. A song like Choli Ke Peeche Kya hai was made by 8-10 people. They aren’t the real problem. The real problem is that the song became superhit, it was liked by millions. This is what I’m afraid of.” On today’s audiences Today a bigger responsibility is on the audiences. This is your responsibility of what kinds of films should be made, what values they should take away, and what should be rejected. Sandeep Vanga on Animal Many reviewers called out the film and filmmaker due to triggering scenes. A netizen took to X and said the filmmaker should see a psychiatrist. While conversing with Komal Nahta, the filmmaker said, “He (the person who tweeted) needs to go to the psychiatrist. Because he needs to understand that this is not what I am doing in real life, this is cinema, this is art, this is expression. I will make a few scenes uncomfortable, that’s the quality of the film, that’s the quality of art. It will upset you, it will provoke you, it will irritate you. If I do it in real life, if I take a rifle and barge into a reviewer’s office, that time you can tell me to consult a psychiatrist.”