Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol Animal: How the movie glorifies toxic masculinity | Explained

Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga is known for his misogynistic films. If you have hated Kabir Singh, but after watching Animal, you will realise that it was way more refined than his recent release. Despite its toxic take, it has become the biggest box-office hit of 2023.

Animal tells the story of a man whose tumultuous relationship with his father has led him down a path of darkness and violence which is beyond your imagination. Not just misogynistic, I would say it is highly insensitive. Celebrating crime doesn’t justify anything. And that’s exactly what Animal is all about celebrating crime and violence in the ugliest possible way. If you thought you can watch this movie with pop corns and coke. Then mind you, you might just throw up.

Troubled childhood that the character of Ranbir Kapoor has portrayed can lead to this kind of a man, will make people think before having a son. For Vijay (Ranbir Kapoor) love is more like lust and entitlement. And the way he proposes marriage is enough to make your stomach turn. A son doesn’t become a criminal overnight because of one incident of his father being attacked. May be he already had a psychological problem. Trying to show the khoon ka rishta in the bloodiest way. And if you like the smell of blood you can’t miss it. Glorifying alpha men is not a great way of storytelling.

Problematic, misogynistic characters are not a bright way of storytelling and that must stop at the earliest. A one-line story stretched beyond limit, could have been done better with a backstory trying to show how to mend the father-son relationship minus the violence.