‘Animal’ review: A monstrous attack on feminism, wokeism

• Release Date: 01/12/2023
• Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna, Triptii Dimri
• Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s monstrous attack on feminism, wokeism and liberalism with monstrous rage and unabashed violence and gore is wickedly entertaining

“Animal” is one of the most outrageous and unabashed films I have seen since “Kabir Singh/Arjun Reddy”. It is no surprise that the film comes from the same director, Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who has now made good on his promise to Anupama Chopra that he would show his detractors what true physical and emotional violence was. “Animal” is a celebration of violence and uncontrollable rage from start to finish, and the director smartly creates an emotional core for this rage to radiate from giving it reason, character and the necessary push to make it real.

The way Vanga builds the character of the protagonist and infuses it with the attitude to take violence and mayhem to an unimaginable level when certain buttons of his are pushed was not only a spectacular thing to watch, but for a great part of the film, it was also something that played really close to reality. I was able to relate to the character and everything that he is shown doing and saying except for a few things in the second half.

It is a fact that the suspension of disbelief was not maintained as well as I would have liked it to be and there were major issues in the logic and sense behind many plot points and twists. Having said that, there was still such flare, drama, histrionics, violence, and poetry in the propagation of the film from beginning to end that everything else was pushed back to the background and the central theme and the larger-than-life protagonist of the film took over your senses. The screenplay finds its footing throughout even when it is something that can be questioned, criticized, and even ridiculed for its silliness and lack of writing depth.

A scintillating Ranbir Kapoor at the top of his game:

I don’t remember seeing Ranbir Kapoor do this good in a character for a very long time. The fact that he has played some of the most tender and sophisticated characters of late only adds to the surprise of seeing his protagonist, Ranvijay, wreck the kind of havoc that he is shown wrecking in the film. When I say havoc, I am not only referring to the physical violence that the character is shown unleashing on hordes of bad guys. It also has to do with the overpowering and dictating persona that the character of Ranvijay has, documented and placed on the screen for us to revel in right from the beginning. Ranbir looks absolutely genuine in the exchanges that document his worldview and his treatment of others. His expression of control and clarity over some of his most questionable actions has an infectious energy and hypnotic pull to it. I wouldn’t be surprised if a sizeable chunk of the audience gets inspired by him and does something rash in their lives.

There were a few who I knew that left their jobs after watching “Wake Up Sid” only to realize a few months later what a blunder they had committed. There may be a few now who would start doing things the “Ranvijay”, since what the character says and does in the film is something that we all aspire to do but are never in a position or privileged enough to do. Ranbir Kapoor not only makes the character believable, relatable, and inspiring (sans a few questionable things that he is shown doing) but also overshadows many of the film’s flaws and deficiencies with his swagger, presence and brooding performance.

While I am still not convinced to accept him as an action hero, I cannot deny the fact that he has done his own stunts here, and they leave very little to be desired. This is the kind of film that can make a man a star and a star a superstar. Ranbir has truly earned the title of a superstar, as displayed with his name in the credits, at least for this film with his performance and dedication to a certain character.

Bobby Deol Is Criminally Underused and The Climax Is Weak and Abrupt:

Bobby Deol has experienced one of the most exceptional resurgences in recent times, and this film is no different. Every time he appears on screen, the complete atmosphere of the film changes, and we are transfixed on the evil that we are sure he will unleash on the people around him. He doesn’t disappoint us. Whether it’s his animal-like treatment of women or the ease with which he murders his own associate, Bobby is electrifying as the primary antagonist of the film. Sadly, he is barely there in the film. His role is almost as short as his appearance in the trailer of the film, and I believe this was one of the biggest missed opportunities of the film.

The second half of the film should have concentrated on the character of Bobby and built it up as a character tracing its origin and its initiation into violence and mayhem, explaining its brute-like nature. This section should also have explored his relationship with his brother and the unbridled hatred that he held in his heart for Ranbir and Anil Kapoor. This would have not only given the audiences enough time to connect with the antagonist and be more confused about who among the two was a bigger animal but also made the climax of the film a lot more thrilling and well-earned.

Having said all that, I still believe that Bobby was terrific in this film, and he should keep trying to do different things.

The Writing of Specific Scenes and Dialogues Were Terrific:

While the overall writing of the film was less than satisfactory, one cannot deny that there are numerous scenes and exchanges in the first half that are absolutely delightful. The film begins with a joke that an ageing Ranbir Kapoor is telling his brothers from the ‘Pind,’ which made me crack up with laughter within the first few minutes of the film. The inception of this joke is in the climax of the film, and I was sweetly surprised by how iconic the impact of one gesture of a person was on Ranvijay’s life and how he translated that into such a great gag.

There is another exchange between him and his soon-to-be wife, Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna) in the first half, where we see him literally brainwash a girl who is about to be married to someone else into marrying him instead. He does this by explaining the gender roles in prehistoric human society and how she was not only choosing the wrong man by ignoring an alpha male but also giving up her power of choice that years of evolution had chosen to grant her. The first half is riddled with scenes of this type throughout, drawing our attention to the thoughts and worldview of the director that he propagates through his protagonist. These scenes really appealed to me, and I was able to identify with them completely. However, I feel that feminists, the so-called ‘wokes’, and liberals will find these portions of the film unpalatable, and they will hate the director, writer, and actors for it. This will also translate to extracting strong emotions from the audience and will be, in many ways, a victory for the director.

The World Building Isn’t What It Should Have Been to Ensure Complete Suspension of Disbelief:

Sandeep Reddy Vanga appears confused in his world-building and treatment of the characters that populate this world. He presents things in the film that are so over-the-top and unbelievable that, even for someone like me who is very forgiving about these things, it’s impossible to take certain sequences seriously.

It must be noted that the action and other over-the-top sequences in the film are presented after much build-up, and the choreography of these sequences is done with a penchant for realism and details. However, they are shown unfolding in a world that doesn’t justify the existence of these sequences. The film begins in a very realistic and rooted world that goes bonkers as the story progresses. It’s challenging to believe elements like face swaps and 300 people being killed in broad daylight in a hotel siege without a single piece of police or government machinery in sight. This mayhem doesn’t only happen in India but is also taken abroad with just as little care for realism as it was in India, seriously hampering the film’s realism and pulling viewers like me out of the experience. This is not a “Vikram” or a “Pushpa” or a “RRR” where we are prepared for the over-the-top from the beginning and expect our protagonist to be nothing less than superheroes.

I felt that Sandeep Reddy Vanga needed to keep his epic rooted in realism and completely do away with portions of the film that added nothing to the story but only elongated the runtime. They could have still made it just as violent, but this time believability would be on their side, and the impact of the action and violence would be twice as much.

The Action and Violence in the Film were Well Done:

The film has at least two sequences of stylized action and violence. There are some minor scenes of violence in the film here and there, and they are all done with a lot of heart and energy. I was particularly impressed by the two action sequences that I felt were some of the best-choreographed sequences that I have seen in Bollywood in years. As the mayhem goes crazier, one can see influences from some of the other films, but it is also amped up to a fever pitch, resulting in the complete immersion of the audience in the sequences. It is only after the sequences are over that you think about all the references and inspirations that the action might have drawn from other action sequences. By then, you have had so much fun with it that you choose to ignore this aspect of the action.

The final hand-to-hand fight is also wonderfully choreographed and the way it culminates is the perfect end to it, justifying the A-certificate that the film has received. It’s an altogether different thing that the buildup and the inspirations behind these action sequences could have been thought out better, and they could have been rooted in realism.

The Second Half of The Film Meanders, And the Character Arc of The Protagonist Goes Haywire:

It felt as if Sandeep Reddy Vanga ran out of ideas in the second half and somehow wanted to make the film exciting by introducing copious amounts of questionable sex, unnecessary machoism, and justification of betrayal where there was no need for it. This leads to the introduction of a subplot that neither works nor is necessary for the story. Reddy could have easily thought of a better way to propagate the story, but he takes this particular path that leads to the entire story and the understanding of the revered protagonist going haywire. Someone like me, who was for so long on the same page with the protagonist, for the first time started questioning his actions. He fell from the pedestal of unquestionable respect that I had put him on in the first half of the film and that was the worst thing that could have happened for the character.

Anil Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna Lead a Terrific Ensemble Supporting Cast:

Anil Kapoor, one of the greatest Indian actors, proves his mettle in a role that wasn’t easy to pull off. He had to hold his own against a character that the director evidently wrote to overpower everything else in the film. A character that Ranbir essayed as if his life depended on it. Even then, Anil Kapoor not only overshadowed Ranbir with his blank looks and expression of controlled emotions when we knew there was some but also had a towering presence over the entire film. He isn’t there all that much in the second half, and still, his presence looms large on the proceedings.

Rashmika Mandanna has been trolled enough for her dialogue delivery in a scene that made its way through the trailer. When you watch the film, you will appreciate her the most for this particular scene, which I felt was absolutely sensational. Her performance through the rest of the film was just as good.

Final Words:

If you are easily triggered and someone with a delicate sense of right and wrong, then you must stay away from this film. If you are a feminist, woke, or liberal, it would be better for you to avoid this film. If you have a problem with the celebration of violence, anger, rage, and masculinity, then you should skip this film. The rest will not only be entertained by this 203-minute-long film but will also be inspired by it. Don’t forget to wait for the end credit scene that sets up the next part of the film, “Animal Park”.

Rating: 3/5 (3 out of 5 Stars)

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