Filmmakers Karan Johar and Sandeep Reddy Vanga, recently appeared together for a Mega Pan India Roundtable 2023 conducted by Galatta Plus, alongside Rima Das and Rani Mukerji. During the interview, upon being asked about his views on Sandeep's blockbuster 'Animal,' Karan highly praised the movie, calling it a "game-changer."
Karan went on to express his views, saying, "People have come up to me after I spoke about how much I loved 'Animal,' and said, 'You have made 'Rocky Aur Rani,'' That's the vaccination for a film like 'Animal.' It's the opposite extreme. I said that I cannot disagree with you more, because 'Animal' to me is the best film of the year. It took me a while to reach to this statement and a lot of courage because when you are around people, you fear judgment. Like during the time of 'Kabir Singh,' which I also loved... I was like I am going to say this and I am going to get dirty looks from certain people but I don't care anymore."
The 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' director didn't stop there. He explained in detail why he loved the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer film so much.
“I loved 'Animal' for its front-footed, absolutely conviction-based narrative storytelling, breaking grammar, breaking myths, breaking everything that you think conforms to mainstream cinema. Suddenly you have an interval block where the hero is getting bashed up and everyone's singing a song... I am like, 'Where have you seen a sequence like this?' It's genius. The end, where the two men are going for each other and they play that song... I had tears in my eyes, but there was only blood. So I was like something is wrong with me or something is wrong with him, but something put together is very right about this film. This is not an average thinking mind. This is a mind of someone who is so distinct, so individualistic that I was blown away. I saw the film twice, first to see as an audience member and second to study it. I think the success, and acceptance of 'Animal' is game-changing. The conviction is something that I want to have," he said.
The plot of 'Animal' is around the troubled relationship between a father and his son. The film has been receiving criticism for glorifying toxic masculinity and misogyny. Apart from Ranbir Kapoor, this film stars Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Shakti Kapoor, and Triptii Dimri. Despite its mixed reactions, the movie has grossed more than Rs 500 crore at the domestic box office.
