Ranbir Kapoor explains his decision to play Animal, calling Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh “incredibly powerful and impactful.” While Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal character is similar to past protagonists by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the actor emphasises key differences. Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, and Bobby Deol, opens in cinemas on December 1. Ranbir was asked about his decision to star in Animal  and if he had seen the director’s other films, which have been panned for glorification of sexism, Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh.

Reasons for accepting Animal

Ranbir Kapoor remarked, “Well, to be honest, I was really drawn to the script of Animal. It’s a unique and intense story that immediately caught my attention. As for watching Arjun Reddy or Kabir Singh, I must admit that I did watch both films and found them to be incredibly powerful and impactful. However, my decision to accept Animal was not solely based on those films. It was more about the script, the character, and the opportunity to work with Sandeep Reddy Vanga.”

Characters in the works of Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Kapoor said that he feels Animal would deliver a ‘new experience entirely’. He said he was also essaying a “tough and uncompromising” part when asked if his character in the film was comparable to Shahid Kapoor’s in Kabir Singh (2019) and Vijay Deverakonda’s in the Telugu original Arjun Reddy (2017).

“Yes, my character in Animal does possess some of the traits typically associated with Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s protagonists. He is indeed tough and uncompromising in certain aspects. However, what sets him apart is the layers of complexity and depth that have been woven into his character. While he may exhibit strength and determination, there are also moments of vulnerability and internal conflict that make him more relatable and human… So, while my character in Animal shares some similarities with Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s previous protagonists, there are also distinct differences that make him stand out in his own right,” he said.

There was going to be a release date conflict with Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2 and Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi’s OMG 2 if Animal had been released on August 11 this year. The film’s original release date was November, but the producers pushed it to December 1. Animal will be released in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.