What is the meaning of the success of the film Animal..??

We all live in a civilized society, where law and order and life values are important. All humans and animals live in this world. Like humans, dogs, monkeys, lions, all animals and birds also fill their stomachs. Have sex/sexual activity. Everyone has their methods. According to the story present in the Puranas, due to a curse from God, the dog is seen having sex in front of everyone. Whereas no one can see a crow or a pigeon or a cuckoo having sex. Many times we see on the road that when a dog is having sex with a bitch, then foolish children try to separate the two by throwing stones at it. The dog always barks not only at people but also at other dogs for any reason or without any reason and keeps trying to attack or commit violence against them. So is that time going to come when humans i.e. men and women will also be seen having sex openly in front of everyone? Till now all the things which used to happen behind closed doors between husband and wife will be discussed in public. At least this is what Sandeep Reddy Vanga, director of the film "Animal", releasing on December 1, wants.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 'Animal': A Controversial Portrait of Toxic Masculinity

Apart from the Telugu film 'Arjun Reddy', Reddy Vanga has now brought 'Animal' after 'Kabir Singh' in Hindi. In all three of his films, he has presented a young eccentric hero who, along with committing extreme violence, created a new definition of love and sex. The kind of hero that filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga has glorified on screen in 'Animal', it seems that he wants to create a new kind of society. The kind of dialogue that Sandeep Reddy has on the internal relations and sexual relations between husband and wife can attract the young generation, but it gives a message of open sex and violence to the young generation and society. Having immense love for your father does not mean that you become a criminal.

Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga says in his film 'Animal' that only people who are jealous of 'alpha males' have written poems in love. ‘Alpha males’ are powerful and women always choose ‘alpha males’. So now do they want to see 'Alpha Male' i.e. toxic masculinity in the entire society? Overall, Sandeep Reddy Vanga is highlighting through his film 'Animal' that our society has now become so distorted and violent from within that it can only be like violence and perversion. This kind of thinking. Can never be supported. People having this kind of thinking are probably victims of mental disorders.

If we look very carefully, there is no difference between the hero and the villain in the film 'Animal'. Perhaps the reason for this is that both of them are distant cousins. 'Animal' has everything except the story. Smoky action, sex, the bier of relationships, betrayal, it is better to call it not a film but a Bollywood 'Martial Combat'. It will happen because there is nothing special in it except immense bloodshed and public sex. It is not understood what message today's producers want to give to the public by making such a film. Till now many such Tollywood and Bollywood films have been released in theaters including 'KGF', 'KGF 2', 'Pushpa', 'Raees', 'Company', 'Shootout at Wadala', 'Pathan', 'Jawan', and 'Tiger 3', which present bad characters as heroes and have attracted a lot of viewers. And has collected money. It seems that such films are gradually becoming more popular. But does anyone think what effect it will have on our young generation? Don't know, is our film industry going in the wrong direction or is our society?

Indian society or American society?

Cinema is the mirror of the society. So has our society also become like the American society? Does our young, school-going student carry a gun to school and open fire? As has happened many times in America? In the film 'Animal', the kind of extremely obscene talk that Ranvijay  Singh has with his wife about underwear for five minutes in front of many people, is an indication of the fact that the things that should be discussed between husband and wife inside a closed room,  have been made into a street spectacle in the film? Has our Indian society become like this?

Did the Censor Board play its role properly?

The section supporting 'Animal' argues that no one should have the right to question the film passed by the 'Censor Board'. But the important question is whether the Censor Board has played its role honestly in the context of 'Animal'. It is being told that this film was seen by Censor Board Chairman Prasoon Joshi himself, after which it was passed with an 'A' certificate. Well, let us assume that the Censor Board has given an 'A' certificate to Animal and kept the children away from this film. But as soon as the film was released, the people who came out after watching the film started narrating the scenes of the film in front of the people since then Women stopped going to watch this film. Even though only the college-going young generation is watching, the box office figures of the film are shocking. The important question is how accurate are these figures? All these figures are being told by the film production company itself. No one knows the truth. However, only bulk booking and corporate booking is taking place. Even if we assume that the box office figures of the film are 100% true, then the cost of the film has not been recovered yet. Secondly, in which direction does filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga want to take the society and the country as well as the young generation through such a film? Is Sandeep Reddy Vanga trying to take India ahead of all Western countries including America and abolish the rule of law in India? Do you now want to make the new generation a gunsmith? Does every young man now want to see only the angry young man on screen?

Rajshri Productions Legacy: Evolving Cinema, Social Messages

Rajshri Productions has been making lovely films giving social messages for the last 76 years and their films have also been making records of success. Not only this, in the decade of the 40s to 60s, cinema used to be educational along with entertainment. Raj Kapoor did wonders by making 'Shree 420' and 'Bobby'. Dev Anand certainly showed various ways of love in his films but did not do any bad things. Rajesh Khanna came in the sixties and seventies. He also talked about love in his film. Manmohan Desai, Yash Chopra, and Ramesh Sippy presented the story of the Angry Young Man. Amitabh Bachchan also continued with the image of the Angry Young Man for almost twenty years. But all these were angry young men or scenes of violence against the system, who had to bow before the law or the law/police came to stop them. When Amitabh Bachchan emerged as an angry young man on the cinema screen, the situation in the country was similar in those days. Indira Gandhi the Prime Minister of the country, was considered the Angry Young woman. Many world leaders were afraid of Indira Gandhi. At that time there was real anger among the younger generation about the system. Whereas there is nothing like this in 'Animal'. Secondly, in 'Animal' there is no fight against the system, rather Ranvijay is indulging in violence and bloodshed in the name of his father's opponents. Doesn't take help from the police.

But in 2023, the audience is not getting anything other than action, bloodshed, and sex in the films. 'Gadar 2', 'Pathan', 'Jawaan', 'Tiger 3', and 'Animal' all have extreme violence, bloodshed, and Only sex is served. The so-called successful films of 2023 have similar action scenes. Their producers are claiming the success of their film. Apart from 'Twelfth Fail' and 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani', none of the films even made any money at the box office, so can it be believed that now viewers want only violence and sex in the name of cinema and entertainment?

Reflections on Film Violence: 'Animal' in Contrast to Classics

Admittedly, there was violence in the film 'Sholay', which achieved tremendous success in 1975, but people forget that the objective behind that violence was to eliminate the bad people in society. Gabbar Singh was neither suitable for any society or common man then nor is he now. In such a situation, violence against such a person is justified. Justifying both the hero Ranvijay Singh and the villain Abrar Haq of the film 'Animal' in the name of 'Sholay' or by giving the example of a soldier firing a machine gun/gun on the enemies to protect the country's border is equivalent to creating a wrong society. Does Sandeep Reddy Vanga want a society and country where there is no police, law, or court?

Any person anywhere can fire bullets at anyone or slit anyone's throat. We believe that in the eighties and nineties, violence-oriented films like 'Sholay' and 'Don' were made, but in both these films there was no attack on relationships or one common man on another common man. Secondly, at that time, along with violent films, hundreds of social and romantic films were also making records of success at the box office, be it the films of 'Rajshree Production' or the films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee. 'Abhimaan', films like 'Kabhi- Kabhi', 'Aradhana', and 'Amar Prem' were also creating new patterns of success in the same period. But alas, not a single social or romantic film was successful in 2023. Why did Aditya Chopra, who is carrying on the legacy of Yash Chopra, start making films like 'War', 'Tiger' or 'Pathan'? When filmmakers who show love also become bent upon showing violence and sex, then it is natural to be disappointed. So has society started moving according to the thinking of Sandeep Reddy? There is a need to think seriously about this.

 

Why is Ranvijay's father a hero? Not clear...

Throughout the film, Ranvijay takes up arms only for his father, but in the three-hour-twenty-three-minute film, it is nowhere told why his father is a hero to him. Whereas he complains that his father does not pay attention to him.

Film 'Animal': Contradiction

There is a tremendous contradiction in the story. In the opening scene of the film, when Ranvijay wants to leave the class midway and go home from school for his father's birthday, the teacher hits his hand with a stick. Whereas the owner of the school is Ranvijay's father Balraj Singh. So, a few scenes later, Ranvijay threatens other children in his sister's class and even reaches there with a gun. Bullets are also fired in the class and the teacher remains a silent spectator. There is no police complaint against him anywhere. He chases several boys in his car and beats them publicly. But the administration/police is silent. So is this story of a country where jungle rules? Where there is no government administration or police system. Every person can take any number of lives. How are people living life in such circumstances? So, in the eyes of Sandeep Reddy Vanga and the Censor Board, has India become completely anarchic or are they trying to make India such a country?

The contradiction is also how Ranvijay Singh became a gangster or a criminal. No one talks about it. After the incident of taking a gun to his sister's class, his father Balraj sends him to study in boarding. After coming back from boarding, the kind of talks he talks about sex and relationships with his elder sisters. Hearing that, one wonders what kind of society we have come into. Maybe something like this happens in America. Then, angry with his father, he goes to America with Geetanjali. Goes to a temple and marries Geetanjali. Becomes a father of two children. For eight years, he is seen only making love, hanging out with his wife Geetanjali, and having sex. After eight years, after hearing the news of a fatal attack on his father, he returns to India and is seen wielding such dangerous weapons/guns/machine guns as if he is a big gangster. After all, when and how did he learn all this? Sandeep Reddy Vanga remains silent on this in the film.

‘Animal’ is an anti-women film

On one hand, our country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is talking about women's equality and women's freedom. He is running the campaign of 'Beti Padhao Beti Bachao', while co-author and director Sandeep Reddy Vanga is completely anti-women in his film 'Animal'. The same message is being given. However, Sandeep Reddy Vanga has said after the film 'Kabir Singh’ that the husband has the right to raise his hand over the wife. Reddy had said, “If you are in a relationship, you have the right to raise your hand.”

It is accepted that Ranvijay Singh understands that Zoya has come as a spy, but it does not mean that Ranvijay should have sex with Zoya openly, by having sex in front of his cousins too, he is trying to tarnish Zoya's honor and destroy Zoya, and you've got the right to ask Zoya to kiss his shoes.

Ranvijay Singh keeps calling himself Maryada Purushottam Ram. Despite this, after becoming the father of two children, he remains immersed in sexual intercourse/play/sex with Zoya for a whole week at his grandfather's bungalow. Is sexually assaulting a woman to get her to confess the truth, is that the right thing to do? Not only this, Ranvijay (Ranbir Singh) asks Zoya (Tripti Dimri) to kiss his shoes to prove her loyalty. This only underlines toxic masculinity.

Abrar Haq (Bobby Deol) is married for the third time to an 18-year-old girl. He shows his 'toxic masculinity' in front of many people by having sex with his new wife in front of many people and also having sex with his two ex-wives. He also calls people and has sex with them too. Should such shameless scenes be served in films just to earn money?

Animal: Duplicity and Toxic Masculinity Portrayed

Overall, ‘Animal’ is full of duplicity and toxic masculinity. At one place, after killing his brother-in-law, Ranvijay promises his sister to get him married for the second time. On the other hand, when he starts going to fight with his cousin, he tells his wife Geetanjali that if he dies, she should not marry again. Now this is duplicity and estrangement. Or the man's ego. This is just patriarchal thinking. Is it not wrong to provoke the young generation by showing all this in the 21st century?

Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga is not only creating a new society but is also writing a new definition of the masculinity of a film hero. In his opinion, only he thinks right in this world, which in reality is bound to lead the entire society and country towards destruction and anarchy. The kind of eccentric and do-anything characters that Sandeep Reddy has presented not only in Animal but in Kabir Singh and Arjun Reddy, no one has dared to present in cinema before. Admittedly, such characters have been liked a lot in stories and tales. Be it 'Devdas', but Devdas immersed in love are far away from Kabir Singh or Ranvijay Singh of Animal.

 

Film ‘Animal’ protest

Women critics have called it an 'anti-women' film. Cricketer Jaydev Unadkat has pointed fingers at the making of such films. Aamir Khan is also not supporting the sex and violent scenes of 'Animal'. But Anupam Kher wants to remain silent on this issue. Famous lyricist Swanand Kirkire and writer Shobha De have also raised questions.

Lyricist Swanand Kirkire's post went viral

Lyricist Swanand Kirkire believes that Ranbir Kapoor's film 'Animal' has put Indian cinema to shame. Swanand has written in his post that went viral on the gritty social media - 'V. Shantaram's 'Aurat', Guru Dutt's 'Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam', Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 'Anupama', Shyam Benegal's 'Ankur' and 'Bhumika', Ketan Mehta's 'Mirch Masala', Sudhir Mishra's 'Main Zinda Hoon', Gauri Shinde's 'English Vinglish', Vikas Bahl's 'Queen', Shoojit Sircar's 'Piku', and many such films in Indian cinema that taught me to respect a woman, her rights and her autonomy and even after understanding everything, this age-old thinking there are still many shortcomings. I don't know whether I succeeded or not, but even today I am constantly trying to improve myself. Thanks to the cinema for this.

Swanand Kirkire further wrote - “But after watching the film Animal, I felt pity for the women of today's generation. Now a new man has been prepared for you, who is scarier, who does not respect you as much, and who wants to control you, suppress you, and feel proud of themselves. When you, the girls of today's generation, were sitting in that cinema hall appreciating Rashmika, in my mind I paid tribute to every idea of equality. I have come home dejected, disappointed, and weak.”

Swanand finally said, 'Ranbir's dialogue in which he defines alpha male, and says that men who cannot become alpha, they become poets to get the pleasure of all women, and promises to break the moon and stars. I am a poet, I do poetry for a living. Is there any place for me? A film is making huge money and the glorious history of Indian cinema is being put to shame. In my understanding, this film will determine the future of Indian cinema in a new, terrifying, and dangerous direction.

One reason for the success of a film like Animal is that the audience is not getting to see anything other than violent films. Not a single filmmaker is making a film that has a good story. Can we name such films related to social concerns, which are worth watching not only at the level of their subject but also at the level of a good film? When there is no option, where should the audience go? In such a situation, it would be wrong to say that society has changed. There is a need to put pressure on the filmmakers to present good stories through Hindi films and raise important questions related to real society and human beings.

It is believed that the box office figures presented by the producer have defeated even 'Jawaan' and 'Pathan'. So can it be assumed that this is all the viewer wants to see now? Does a filmmaker like Sandeep Reddy Vanga want to turn the teenagers and youth of our society into animals? Is the success (earnings) of a film the only criterion for its goodness? Will the times to come be the era of eccentric, sexually frustrated, violent heroes and will the young generation of the country consider them as their role models/heroes? Will the country's government, censor board, and the general public work to promote such filmmakers?

 

 

-Shantiswarup Tripathi

 

 

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