Animal Movie Review
All this happens before the interval. Now, the film practically ends at this point and if the director had done that, we would have left with a one-and-a-half hour long, slick actioner. But he doesn't do the needful and needlessly stretches it to another two hours. We are made to repetitively witness more mayhem.
The film is a homage to the hero worship every boy feels for his dad as a kid. Most of us slowly let go of that feeling as we grow up, and start seeing our fathers as beings of mere flesh and bone. This leads to a better relationship, a healthier relationship, with our parents as we age. But Ranvijay is shown to be having the emotional depth of a five year old when it comes to dealing with his father. He puts his father on the same pedestal as God, or even higher. He doesn't share the same equation with his mother, mind you. She’s a mere mortal, perhaps, as he says in the film, it's a man's world.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga was criticised for having men raise their hand against women in both Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh. Here we have Rashmika giving in to anger and slapping Ranbir. That's Vanga’s way of making things right. Take it or leave it. The film worships at the temple of toxic masculinity, what with phallic humour galore and women being treated as mere sex objects. There’s a scene where Ranbir is celebrating his successful heart surgery by roaming around buff naked in the lawns, to put things in perspective.
All that aside, we never could imagine what prompted the director to make this vastly self-indulgent film. Maybe it was an experiment to turn Ranbir Kapoor into an action star. Perhaps to see how good he looks with Rashmika or with Triptii Dimri. Perhaps it was to resurrect Bobby Deol’s film career. Well, Ranbir’s such a good actor that he makes even leave-your-mind-at-home action look easy on the eye. And he does look good with both Rashmika and Triptii. And there’s no doubt that Bobby still has a great screen persona. But do these positives justify three hours and 21 minutes of runtime? Some scenes feel like they were written on the fly. The editing, the continuity is the least troubled department. The film is shot well and has some good songs to its credit but the story, screenplay and direction departments clearly needed a firmer guidance.
There have been films like Shakti (1982), revolving around tumultuous father-son relationships. Perhaps Sandeep Reddy Vanga should have gone back to the classic or sat with its director Ramesh Sippy to get a grip on how it’s done. Because Anil Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor are two of our finest actors. And both have acted out of their skulls in this film. Their scenes together are the soul of the film. But even the finest talent can’t do much in the face of bad writing. It’s painful to watch their talent being used in such a way. The trailer of the film was so finely cut that it raised expectations sky high. The end product, sadly, just doesn’t match up to the hype.
Watch Animal to see Anil Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor rising above the ridiculous to give a sublime performance.
Trailer : Animal
Renuka Vyavahare, December 1, 2023, 5:24 PM IST
Synopsis: Having craved for his rich father’s (Anil Kapoor) love and attention all his life, an unhinged Vijay (Ranbir Kapoor) gets obsessive and violent when his dad is attacked. Seeking revenge and hunting down the conspirators become his only aim. Picture Godfather on steroids, devoid of its psychological tension.
Review: Blood is thicker than water according to the film’s protagonist. The safety and unity of family is sacrosanct no matter how twisted the relations. We are even led to believe that dysfunctional is better than broken.
Through an exhausting runtime of 3 hours, 21 minutes, comprising extreme bloodshed, testosterone and blatant misogyny, writer-director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, known for his controversial statements and thoughts, glorifies the alpha male once again through his Godfather-esque tale.
When his father is shot, Vijay declares himself as the ‘man of the house’ and takes matters into his own hands. He assures his father that he’ll safeguard their steel empire and family’s legacy but revenge first.
Despite anger and daddy issues, he has an active love life. He seduces Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna), through his toxic macho traits and erratic, inappropriate humour. “Don’t call me bhaiyya. I don’t have brotherly feelings for you.” He compliments her childbearing hips and like Christian Grey, whisks her away in his private jet for some high-altitude dom/sub love making. “You were the bottom, you didn’t have to do much”, he comments after. He even expects her to forgive his infidelity because she forgives his other crimes anyway. “Aap log mahinay ke chaar din pad badalne par bolte ho, main din mein chaar baar pad badal raha hu”, he argues post an injury, questioning women’s right to complain about period pain.
Pop culture has often glorified bad boys. There’s always something attractive about people who refuse to toe the line. Vanga takes this romanticisation a bit too far. Even as his take on women and violence unsettle you immensely as a viewer, those are his preferences for a protagonist as a director, and he is free to have them. The bigger issue is the lack of purpose in the story. His gun-wielding angry young man comes across as a rebel without a cause.
Cocky, broken, and problematic characters can be celebrated if they have a reason strong enough to explain the mayhem, if not justify. Vijay has none and in the absence of it, Animal ends up as all swag and no substance derailed family drama. What is fuelling his fire and the rage within? The father-son discord that forms the crux of the story itself stays unexplored. Barring Ranbir, the story barely invests in other characters, turning them into silent spectators, including the very talented Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol. AK is excellent in the confrontational scenes and Bobby looks menacing, but both have very little to do. Women are submissive puppets. Mandanna’s Hindi dialogues are harder to comprehend than the film’s intention.
The action feels like an interruption but has been shot well. Ranbir-Bobby fight sequence exudes the intensity of Troy’s iconic Hector-Achilles hand-to-hand combat scene. The background score and music work well with the mood of the film.
‘Animal’ relies heavily on Ranbir Kapoor’s talent and stardom. His raw sex appeal and unmatched intensity are the film’s highlights. One of the finest actors of this generation, you find yourself trapped in his troubled mind as his blood-soaked eyes seethe with rage. Uninhibited, his ability to become the character he plays, shocks, stuns, and draws you in each frame. RK lends that dangerously unpredictable quality to this deranged character and aces it especially in that Vaastav-like crucial climax scene. He deserved a better script to match this level of performance.
Ranbir Kapoor can be Joaquin Phoenix but Animal’s no Joker. This entire film could have just been a conversation between the father and his son.
