Some Spoilers ahead:
The “most awaited” film, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor, was released on the 1st of December, and I watched it this weekend. From the trailer and Vanga’s previous films, I pretty much figured the film would be set in a man’s world. And boy, was I wrong?
Animal was precisely that. Ranbir actually has a dialogue in the film saying how “This is sadly a man’s world” to his wife. He didn’t even have to spell it out loud. The entire film is a testament to Vanga’s “man world” with gore, gritty, violent scenes, unnecessary pubic hair references and dumb dick jokes. There’s literally Ranbir Kapoor walking around his palace naked and other men around him firing guns at his “alleged” comeback after he felt sick and so on. And the film by any means is not for a woman to watch, for it will leave you feeling sick to your stomach.
Vijay And His Daddy Issues
The plot of the film, in simple language, is about Vijay (Ranbir Kapoor), who has everything money can buy but does not have the love of his father. Cliche, but okay. He hails from one of the most influential families in India, and his dad (Anil Kapoor) is an industrialist who’s too busy for his kids.
Anil Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor in Animal
All Vijay wants is to spend time with his father, but that doesn’t happen, and this turns him into an “animal” who does what he pleases and faces no consequences for his actions whatsoever. Not once is this guy questioned or held accountable for his psychopathic behavior throughout the film.
Vijay And Geetanjali’s Tumultuous Relationship That Made Zero Sense:
The film starts with Vijay liking Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna) and getting infuriated when she calls him bhaiya because he has no “sisterly” feelings for her. Then, the same old breaking up her marriage with another guy and then getting married to her, recreating the whole “love me like you do” song thing.
Rashmika And Ranbir In Animal
He says things like, “You have a wide pelvis, which means you will birth healthy babies, and I love babies” to his wife before marriage. What a compliment because he’s right; a woman’s only purpose is to birth healthy children.
Then, years later, Vijay and Geetanjali have children, and Geetanjali has no life. She’s just the silent mother of his kids who waits for her husband to come home and keeps ‘karva chauth’ for his long life when he’s out there cheating on her because apparently problematic men can cheat for a little “dopamine”. When Geetanjali has had it and loses her sh** over his cheating, Vijay convinces her by saying, “You’ve forgiven me for manslaughters. You can definitely forgive me for cheating on you.”
Rashmika’s Geetanjali is exactly how a woman in Vanga’s male universe would be, a lot like Kabir Singh’s Preeti, but here she is given a little, a teeny tiny bit of voice. Vanga did keep Kabir Singh’s criticism in mind, and that’s witnessed in various scenes throughout the film. For instance, there’s a scene where Vijay says how he wants to slap Geetanjali, and she says how she won’t stand there and get slapped (like Preeti did).
Vijay and Geetanjali’s relationship, for the most part, didn’t make sense, and here, toxic is just a word. Geetanjali is the caretaker and mother of his kids with very little voice of her own who accepts her husband’s violent nature, manslaughter and, oh, infidelity, too.
The Portrayal Of Women Is Shameful, Disgusting And Distasteful
And if you thought that it’s only Geetanjali who’s portrayed as this woman with a little voice, let me introduce you to other women in Vanga’s male universe.
This begins with Vijay’s mother, who is only in scenes defending her son’s problematic behavior and asking her husband to give him time. Her entire existence is centered around her man-baby of a sick son. The weird bit is how her love is not even acknowledged by Vijay.
Vijay is an “animal” because his dad didn’t give him love and affection, but what about his mom giving him her all? That’s not even considered because that’s just a “mother”, and a mother sacrificing her entire life for her children and giving them all her love and life without expecting anything in return is, well, just her job.
Vijay also has two sisters and is alien to the concept of a woman’s agency. When Vijay’s older sister faces harassment in her college, a 16-year-old Vijay, in his school uniform, gets inside her college with her by his side and fires an AK47 casually because, a brother’s authority and control. Remember how men are supposed to safeguard a woman’s izzat and “protect her” from the evil world?
He also warns his younger sister, saying he will pick the guy she should marry and she shouldn’t even dare marry on her own because again, women’s agency? Who dat?
The most distasteful and contemptible scene was Vijay asking the woman he was sleeping with, Zoya (Tripti Dimri)to lick his boots after she got caught trying to “betray him”, and that’s a whole weird storyline in its own but what was the purpose of him asking her to LICK HIS BOOTS?
What appalled me the most was the men giggling and hooting in the theatre. What a disgrace, honestly, utterly shameful. This also posed a terrifying question in my mind. I couldn’t help but think. Is this what men really like and find hilarious? A woman being asked to lick a man’s boots?
Vijay, An “Animal” Who Gets Away With Everything
And finally, let’s talk about the film’s lead, Vijay. What did he go all this for? I still have no answers. I’ll need more time to wrap my head around this film because I’m traumatised.
I understand violent characters, but what exactly was Vijay doing all this for? The only reason the film gave was that “his father didn’t love him”. At least, that’s what I could comprehend.
This is not even the worst part. The worst part is that you’re supposed to feel sorry for this sick “animal”. You’re supposed to empathize with him because all he wants is the love and appreciation of his dad.
Vijay’s character was so out of place and unnecessary in the first place. How do you even dare to make a film with someone like Vijay as the lead?
And let’s get real and talk about Ranbir Kapoor for once. I could see a lot of Kabir Singh and Sanju in his character. Vijay was a mix-up of so many unnecessary characters we’ve seen too many times now. He had nothing new to offer. But was he convincing as Vijay? Yes.
And Sandeep Reddy Vanga, how much violence is too much violence for you, and what was the point of the whole 30-minute fight sequence with masked men? Vijay is killing thousands of people alone with “Arjan Vailey” playing in the background, which glorifies gore violence to the extent that you want to pick up his gun and start fighting by yourself. I understand the adrenaline bit and would’ve still justified the violence if it added to the film’s story. But here, what was all this for? Nothing
Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Shakti Kapoor And Others Were Just There!
Anil Kapoor, Vijay’s billionaire industrialist dad, is just there to tell him he doesn’t like his violent ways now and then. Bobby Deol got a screen time of 10 minutes, and Shakti Kapoor was just there. The film had nothing to offer to these characters. They were just there in Vijay’s chaotic world.
The weirdest bit of the film was the climax, where Ranbir Kapoor and Bobby Deol have a one-on-one, and the background music is some sad B Praak music. I mean, after 3 hours and 20 minutes, this is how you end this ridiculous film?
I usually rate films by the end of my review, but I have no rating for Vanga’s Animal. This was a colossal disappointment. It’s not even a 0/10 because this film is, well, just a horrible joke gone wrong.