‘Animal’ is a disturbing film that is also one of the best to come out of Bombay cinema in over two decades

Those who had been lamenting the death of cinema for a few years have a reason to rejoice in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal. One of the most controversial films in recent memory, perhaps as long as one can recall, Animal is not an easy film to watch but it never pretended to be your average Friday blockbuster aiming to please one and all. Animal could well be all the things it is being accused of by the critics — unapologetically violent, overtly misogynistic and unashamedly offensive. Animal could also be one of the best films to come out of Bombay cinema in over two decades. After the release of Kabir Singh, the remake of his Telugu film Arjun Reddy, Sandeep Vanga Reddy was attacked by most critics for propagating violence in the name of love. Reddy’s shock, etched on his face, during interviews by some of India’s most celebrated film commentators, told the story of a truly misunderstood artist. Reddy tried to articulate that there could be characters like Kabir Singh out there, the kinds whom you wouldn’t like to befriend, but they existed and there were people who liked and even loved him. In one famous interview, a clip of which has attained a second lease of popularity in terms of going viral, Reddy signed off with a warning — if you thought Kabir Singh was a violent film, you have another thing coming. Reddy’s Animal features a bevy of bravura performances with Ranbir Kapoor as the mainstay. Like in the 1990s when Aamir Khan would make news for rejecting films - Darr, Karan Arjun, Saajan, Hum Aapke Hai Koun…! a sign of stardom, Kapoor, too, has been the first port of call for filmmakers. Kapoor has been hailed as one of the finest actors of his generation but blamed it on his ill timing, bad luck and everything in between that the films he refused turned out to be great blockbusters and several actors, especially Ranveer Singh, his bête noir, made his career on some of those rejects. Ranbir Kapoor’s performance in Animal is one of the finest you will see in Hindi cinema simply because it’s an original. There is nothing that prepares you as a viewer for what he unleashes and no matter how much Reddy could have imagined, interpreted and inspired Kapoor, this is complexly his show. He maintains great consistency from the first frame to the last without missing a single beat. He simply immerses himself in this rather unbelievable world and makes it as real as possible. Kapoor also gives his co-stars right from Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, Tripti Dimri great support — he manages to underplay on cue so that his Vijay’s toxicity doesn’t overpower others. His banter with Upendra Limaye as the fast-talking Freddy Patil is the stuff of legends. Back in the 1950s, a Dilip Kumar evoked Paul Muni, a Dev Anand rekindled Gregory Peck, later in the 1960s Shammi Kapoor reminded you of a younger Dev sahab, Manoj Kumar imbibed qualities of Dilip sahab. In the 1980s, Anil Kapoor infused a bit of Bachchan and a lot of Kamal Haasan in his approach to roles and then in the 1990s, Aamir Khan got a bit of Dev Anand and Shammi in the proceedings and Shah Rukh Khan took off from an early Bachchan left things in Namak Haraam and Parwana. But looking at Ranbir in Animal you’d find it difficult to find a reference point and this is what makes it a tour de force performance. And, now imagine why the press and viewers alike are gushing over Bobby Deol’s 13-minute role in Animal — he offers the near the perfect foil to Kapoor. Deol, who has been having a great second inning, and rightfully so, had great responsibility in terms of an actor — Kapoor has nearly three hours to build his persona on-screen and the ‘villain’ has to be larger than life without as much help from the script. But Deol delivers with aplomb. Animal has been described as a toxic father-son relationship set against the backdrop of crime and the underworld but that is not half the picture. Yes, the film demands a high degree of suspension of belief and presents a highly unreal depiction of the world trying too hard, and often succeeding, at being real; yes, it reeks of misguided machismo, and it attacks your sensibilities but remains a great cinematic experience. This writer is surprised how no critic or commentator has picked up the similarities between Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. Ranbir Kapoor’s Ranvijay ‘Vijay’ Singh is Michael Corleone sans the military service or the Sicily interlude — he is the son who takes over his father’s empire much against the wishes of the father, his sibling’s spouse doesn’t wish the best the father, he wife doesn’t approve of his actions, he won’t rest till he ensures the safety of his family and the odds are stacked against him — and as Michael descends into the depths most couldn’t imagine. Animal has raked in over Rs 500 crore in its first week and, at the same time, been spoken about in the  Parliament for its vile content and its “justification of violence and misogyny”. It has been questioned on its portrayal of men and their attitude towards women. Are the film and its characters misogynists? Yes, perhaps it is. Does it glorify violence? Of course, it showcases violence. Does the film justify the actions and decisions of its characters (read the main lead)? It’s a film where the narrative’s perspective is from that very character, so, yes. The question now to be asked is why is Animal troubling critics so much? It is sheer cinema, art and whatever you might want to call it and batting for the ‘wrong’ side. If Animal was 10 per cent of what it was but only helmed by — and this is being said only in the context of a frame of reference — an Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj or Dibakar Banerjee, it would be hailed as kitsch or cult, an inspiration for generations. It’s a completely different thing that none of them could have made Animal. In the end, Animal is a disturbing film but to begin with, it never pretended to be anything else. Do the criticisms coming its way deserve merit? Some of the comments make you wonder if the reviewers were critiquing a film or pronouncing the filmmaker for some unfinished business (read the response to Kabir Singh). The writer is a film historian. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.