STORY
Vijay has temper issues and is obsessed about protecting his family from any threats and mistreatment. He loves his father a lot. His father is Balbir, a business magnate who runs a steel factory. One day, Balbir gets shot under mysterious circumstances. Filled with fury, Vijay decides to reunite his family, find the culprit, and kill him.
REVIEW
Currently, one of the five highest grossing films of 2023 with over ₹700 crore crossed within two weeks, Animal is obviously a super-hit. But is it that good? Not even close. This film is 3 hours and 15 minutes long and is considered one of the longest Indian films ever made. How so? In all honesty, I don’t know. Only the director Sandeep Reddy Vanga can explain you that. From what I see, coming from someone who believes that the film can be completed generally in 90 minutes, is not a script that is passionately trying to justify the overstretching of a simple plot but a suicide letter of the art of writing.
See the plot is simple and not really inspiring because we have watched this before countless times. A father who is a businessman and his son who is a typical example of a rich upbringing. The ancestors started the steel business and quarreled. And the enmity led to the death in the family that caused lifetime revenges in the bloodline. Any director with this story can conclude the film in not more than 90-100 minutes, or max 120 minutes. In fact, the director must have thought of a limited series and developed interest instead of stretching a simple plot.
Animal is extremely unrealistic with larger-than-life action sequences and for the sake of entertainment glamorizes a rich spoiled brat and his anger issues. Every character connected to him directly and indirectly loves him, loves to obey him.
Writing errors and stupidity has no limits. Vijay openly declares in front of media that he will kill the one who shoot his father and there is no media uproar. How is that normal? How on earth the news doesn’t alarm the national security that a son of India’s richest businessman is openly threatening to kill.
Geeta breaking her engagement for Vijay was so underdeveloped writing. It didn’t make any sense.
How was the boy not stopped from rushing in the factory searching for papa?
The hotel attack on Vijay and his cousins was so bizarre and brutally unreal especially when Vijay beats the entire skull gang on the same floor alone with an injured leg and his cousins are singing for him. There was no charisma but instead, it was funny.
The one who supervised the attack admits that he doesn’t know Vijay’s name but later, Vijay reminds that he wanted to know his name and tells him his name before killing him. The question is, how come Vijay knew that he wanted to know his name? Vijay was occupied in the arms deal.
MISOGYNY ISSUE
Speaking of misogyny issue of the film that has recently ignited in the social media is a political whining. See, my issue is not women beating in the film. Balbir silencing his wife, the marks on Zoya’s neck, Abrar slapping his wife, Vijay asking Zoya to lick his boot. That all has been happening for centuries and husbands often do the honors of dishonoring women. So that is true picture finally depicted on the silver screen. I refuse to belief that the vulgar promotion of misogyny is encouraged. Not at all. People need to understand that the film doesn’t portray Vijay as a messiah or a prophet. But people also need to see a good side of Vijay when he didn’t stand for his sister getting bullied when they were in college. He didn’t appreciate his brother-in-law going physical with his sister in the party. If the public is complaining that the film is glamorizing misogyny then the film isn’t glamorizing only misogyny but all the bad things like violence, blood shedding, and killing.
Must women-beating be dramatized more often in the films? Well, it depends on the script. Completely okay with what you want to dramatize in your story. If the story demands that part of violence, this should not be objection and no one must get offended by it.
THE OTHER SIDE
Although, Bobby Deol‘s Abrar will be considered one of the most intriguing entries in the film for some time because of that Iranian folk song, Jamal Jamaloo. Maybe that entry covers the reputation of the character but I felt that Abrar’s short appearance is a misfiring. Sandeep wasted a lot of potentials in the film to focus primarily on Vijay and heavily underwrote Abrar.
The whole antagonism of Abrar and his world was stupidly underbaked that deserved to be on level with Vijay’s. Why? Because that family attacked Balbir, planned to kill Vijay, then sent Zoya for a major killing plan. Introducing Abrar after two hours was plain injustice.
So the whole rivalry between Vijay and Abrar deserved half a film but stood for only 20 minutes because the director made the entire film on Vijay and his madness which was not what the plot demanded. Also, silencing Bobby Deol’s character was cruel as people love to listen to Bobby’s dialogues.
FATHER & SON
One of the major plusses is the father-son chemistry between Anil Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor. Notice when father observes his palm when he is sleeping or when Vijay meets Balbir after 8 years. Their whole last sequence of Vijay imitating Balbir was a terrific insider about how a child feels lonely over father’s cold responses and steps into insanity. The feelings get hurt with such upbringing.
PERFORMANCES
Most of the performances were usual as expected. In action films, there is less burden of doing something extraordinary but depends on the given scene or a character. Now take a look at Rashmika Mandanna. She did nothing special until she had to burst on Vijay when he confessed.
I think that kid Ahmad Ibn Umar who played young Ranbir is for playing very intelligent kids. First Laal Singh Chaddha and now this.
The biggest plus of the film is without a doubt the animal Ranbir Kapoor. A mental and physical commandment at the character can be watched in many scenes like his speech in the factory, and all his heated arguments with Balbir and Geeta. His performance was more sentimental when he was with Anil in father-son sequences perhaps because of the passing of his father Rishi Kapoor. It was during this very period when he signed this film. So the gashes were fresh. So came the performance.
I have just started checking Bollywood films of 2023 but I feel this has to be one of the best performances of the year.
MUSIC
The soundtracks need to be praised for being innovative. I think Papa Meri Jaan was the best soundtrack in both versions of the child and Sonu Nigam. It builds a lot of sentimental vibes for children who love their father a lot. The tune is moving. And then both Vijay and Abrar had superb entries. A. R. Rahman‘s Roja tracks were beautifully renditioned. And the Iranian folk song played on Bobby’s entry was out of the box. A beautiful and simple tune that allures the listeners.
CLOSING REMARKS
Animal deserved better writing and must have leveled both the families to ignite the rivalry. Focusing on Ranbir’s Vijay ignores most of the promising aspects of the film. If you want action sequences to blow your mind, watch it. But Animal is a special treat for all Ranbir Kapoor fans and those who appreciate quality acting.
RATING 4/10
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Sami Naik | Film Critic 