Newly released 'Animal,' which stars Ranbir Kapoor, has become one of the biggest movies of 2023. The Sandeep Reddy Vanga film has been breaking box office records, while also receiving mixed reactions from the audiences as well as critics, which shed light on the misogynistic treatment of women and the apparent positive side of toxic masculinity.
In a previous interview, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap had reacted to the backlash 'Animal' was facing saying that filmmakers can direct anything they want. Now, in a new interview with OTT Play at the Kolkata International Film Festival, he said that the film 'is doing something good' because it has sparked discussions around feminism.
He said, “You cannot force responsibility on anyone. People take responsibility for themselves or they don’t. How many people went and watched a film that you considered to be feminist? Only a handful of people watch them and underline if it was a real feminist film or a pseudo-feminist film. A film like 'Animal' has galvanised more feminists in this country than any other feminist film. It has created more discussion around misogyny than any other film. So it is doing something good.”
The director of 'Gangs of Wasseypur' further added, "You need a provocateur in a society for people to understand. More people were taught feminism because of 'Animal' and the discussions around it. Why are you scared of a provocateur? We are educated and learned people. Why are we afraid of someone who provokes us? I think being provoked is a good thing. I have always tried to make films to make people uncomfortable, as a filmmaker. When I made 'Ugly,' I wanted people to go back and not sleep that night."
Other than Ranbir Kapoor, this film also features Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol in supporting roles. It released on December 1 in theatres all across the world, and has earned ₹717.46 crore so far at the box office.
