Animal director Sandeep Reddy Vanga expressed his bewilderment over people labeling characters from his films, such as Animal, Arjun Reddy, and Kabir Singh, as misogynistic. In an interview with Galatta Plus, he stated that he doesn’t perceive any of these popular film characters, including Ranvijay Singh, Kabir Singh, or Arjun Reddy, as misogynistic.
He added, “I don’t know why these 15-20 jokers do.” The film Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor, has faced criticism for its portrayal of extreme violence and has been accused of misogyny by many.
When asked if he perceives Ranvijay Singh as a misogynistic character, Sandeep responded, “Misogyny is disrespect to women. This is the actual definition, right. So no. Even Kabir Singh, even Animal, even me as a person. I always feel my production house name is Bhadrakali Pictures and I don’t know why people think…not too many people, only these 15-20 jokers. But it’s a wrong word to use on Kabir Singh, Animal.” He redirected the question to the interviewer, asking if they also consider the characters as misogynistic.
Sandeep also expressed his view that the current way movies are dissected has become overly critical. He mentioned, “It’s too toxic.”
Why Ranvijay Singh of Animal was called misogynistic
Despite Animal crossing ₹835 crores gross worldwide, Hindustan Times provided a less-than-flattering review. An excerpt from the review stated, “If filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh bothered you, wait till you watch Animal that presents Ranbir as an epitome of misogyny, and he has no qualms about it. Whether it’s telling his younger sister to drink wine and not whiskey or taking a jibe at the elder one, a Harvard graduate, for just saying, ‘Chup raho, bas karo (Keep quiet)’ in her marriage; he’s loved, hated, and misunderstood all at once.”
Divergent Opinions: Mixed Reactions Surrounding Animal – From Criticism to Defense
Earlier this month, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan criticized the film, stating that “the film’s justification of violence and misogyny is shameful.” Senior cricketer Jaydev Unadkat also expressed similar concerns after watching the film but deleted his tweet shortly after.
His initial tweet read: “What an absolute disaster #AnimalTheFilm was! Glorifying misogyny in today’s world and then tagging it as mere ‘traditional masculinity’ and ‘alpha male’ is a disgrace.”
Contrastingly, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap defended Animal, stating that it sparked discussions about misogyny. “A film like Animal has galvanized more feminists in this country than any other feminist film. It has created more discussion around misogyny than any other film. So it is doing something good,” he conveyed to OTTplay at the Kolkata International Film Festival.