The Big Picture
- Animal attracts controversy for its misogynistic themes, glorification of toxic masculinity, and no-holds-barred violence.
- The film's portrayal of the male protagonist's vile conduct towards female characters trivializes important issues and objectifies women.
- The success of Animal reflects a larger trend in Indian cinema of portraying male protagonists as demigods who embrace hyper-violence, raising concerns about the portrayal of gender dynamics and traditional notions of masculinity.
✕ Remove Ads
Indian filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal has not stopped attracting audiences to the theater since its release, living up to the noise around the film and surpassing the $100 million mark at the global box office. But despite the love it has been receiving from audiences, Animal has continued to attract controversy, much like its director who has been in the limelight for his controversial remarks. The film has been particularly criticized for its misogynistic themes, glorification of toxic masculinity, and no-holds-barred violence depicted on screen - all of which seem to be particularly engineered by the director as a response to the backlash he faced for his previous film Kabir Singh (a remake of Vanga's Telugu-language film of the same name), which also got panned for its misguided portrayal of relationships. While Animal has reinvoked the debate around how dynamics between genders should be portrayed in popular cinema, the success of the film, on the other hand, reflects a sentiment that falls on the completely opposite spectrum of what its critics feel.
✕ Remove Ads
Featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna as the leading pair, Animal follows the scion of the "Swastik Steels" empire, Ranvijay Singh Balbir (Kapoor), trying to take down the enemies of his beloved father, Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor) while he tries to improve his tumultuous relationship with his absentee parent. The film shows Kapoor's character as a hyper-violent avatar who refuses to abide by any rules, even those set by his father. Later in the film, the troubled childhood of the protagonist and his troubled relationship with his father become fair grounds for the character to indulge in toxic relationships and behavior with other characters in the film.
Animal (2014)
A father, who is often away due to work, is unable to comprehend the intensity of his son's love. Ironically, this fervent love and admiration for his father and family creates conflict between the father and son.
- Release Date
- June 17, 2014
- Director
- Brett Simmons
- Cast
- Joey Lauren Adams , Elizabeth Gillies , Paul Iacono , Thorsten Kaye , Amaury Nolasco , Keke Palmer , Jeremy Sumpter , Parker Young , Eve , Mike J. Regan
- Runtime
- 86 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
✕ Remove Ads
'Animal' Revels in Toxic Masculinity
While flawed characters only add to the realism of the film's world in any film, Vanga's Animal glorifies the violent tendencies of its protagonist without any remorse, adding fuel to the debate around whether films should purely stick to entertainment or they should also hold the responsibility of reflecting certain ethical standards in a society where films influence masses more than any other medium - a debate that also existed around Todd Philip's Joker. Flawed characters in films are not uncommon by any standards, but whether the actions of such characters derive inspiration or loathing falls on the creative choices of its maker. In Animal's case, the choices seem to have been made in the interest of the shock factor through the disastrous choices of the character that still somehow end up rewarding.
✕ Remove Ads
Related
Ranbir Kapoor Goes on a Blood-Soaked Revenge Mission in First ‘Animal’ Trailer
The Bollywood action film will be released in theaters worldwide on December 1.
Moreover, it's not just the protagonist alone who indulges in his barbaric tendencies, but the film ensures that a protagonist of equally ignoble qualities competes with the protagonist for power. In another deplorable scene of the film, the antagonist, played by Bobby Deol, pounces on his newly-wed wife with his blood-soaked face. Maybe, all these actions fall in line with the director's vision of how alpha males behaved in primitive societies, but the difference appears when one realizes that Animal takes place in a modern society where civilization has evolved beyond the principles that the film considers to be holy.
✕ Remove Ads
'Animal's Choices Seem Designed for Shock Value
While flawed characters only add to the realism of the film's world in any film, Vanga's Animal glorifies the violent tendencies of its protagonist without any remorse, adding fuel to the debate around whether films should purely stick to entertainment or they should also hold the responsibility of reflecting certain ethical standards in a society where films influence masses more than any other medium - a debate that also existed around Todd Philip's Joker. Flawed characters in films are not uncommon by any standards, but whether the actions of such characters derive inspiration or loathing falls on the creative choices of its maker. In Animal's case, the choices seem to have been made in the interest of the shock factor through the disastrous choices of the character that still somehow end up rewarding.
✕ Remove Ads
Moreover, it's not just the protagonist alone who indulges in his barbaric tendencies, but the film ensures that a protagonist of equally ignoble qualities competes with the protagonist for power. In another deplorable scene of the film, the antagonist, played by Bobby Deol, pounces on his newly-wed wife with his blood-soaked face. Maybe, all these actions fall in line with the director's vision of how alpha males behaved in primitive societies, but the difference appears when one realizes that Animal takes place in a modern society where civilization has evolved beyond the principles that the film considers to be holy.
'Animal' Follows a Larger Trend in Indian Films
✕ Remove Ads
The success of Animal also highlights another trend in Indian cinema where a certain brand of cinema, pandering to a pan-Indian audience, tends to portray its male protagonists as the flagbearers of masculinity. Recent domestic blockbusters such as Pushpa and KGF all portray their protagonists as demigods who ride high on their embracing of hyper-violence. To the credit of these films, they have also managed to bring audiences back to the theaters in greater numbers than ever seen before the pandemic. This year itself, Indian cinema has seen some of its biggest blockbusters ever, all headlined by characters that fall within a particular mold of masculinity.
✕ Remove Ads
Clearly, the creative minds behind Animal, which could very well be India's biggest film of 2023, were aware of the scathing criticism that would come their way, as evidenced by the flamboyant post-credits scene, in which Kapoor's character can be seen looking at the audience and pointing at his crotch, in what is most definitely a dig by the director at his critics. But it wouldn't be an understatement to say that the film's success could have done greater damage to how women must be portrayed in mainstream cinema than the film itself, especially in an industry where female-led films and strong female characters are a dime a dozen. As Animal continues to march towards the top spot for an Indian film at the global box office, it's fair to say that the debate around films of such nature won't die down soon, and worryingly, the film's success might only end up inspiring a greater influx of mainstream films that fail to justifiably portray gender dynamics and move away from traditional notions of masculinity.
Animal is currently in theaters across the U.S.