Movie Review : Animal

I had a hunch that it will not be a good movie. So I avoided it during its first week. Meanwhile we kept getting reviews that it has become a hit and has collected a few hundred crores during this week. Eventually I had to relent in front of my wife (Ranbir Kapoor fan !!) and ended up watching it on big screen.

I wish I could have spent a better evening.

These movies do not make their 100s of crores on the weight of cinematic excellence. They earn their money by creating a frenzy around the movie which our audiences fall for prior to the release. Add to that the cult status of a superstar and a sub standard product ends up being lauded over by a bunch of paid critics and media. And the latest trend is to add the glam quotient of more than one movie industries to generate added pre release glitter... So we see the Bollywood guys adding the star masaala of Tollywood, Kollywood, Sandalwood, Mollywood... and inciting new audiences. So we see Shahrukh Khan with Nayanthara in Jawaan, Rajini with Shivakumar/ Mohan Lal/ Jackie in Jailer, and Ranbir with Rashmika in Animal.

I am not a movie buff, nor am I a movie critic. But I relate to a good movie when I watch one.

Be careful not to fall in this trap next time. 

What is Animal ?

First things first, do we need to idolise Alpha Males who badly subjugate women and terrorise them into submission? Right or Wrong, but movies do create role models in our society. And we are definitely going wrong in the name of creative freedom.

The characterisation of Ranbir to probably portray him as an Animal has serious gaps and leaves you bewildered by its absurdity at times.

Mr Vanga Reddy is the Writer and Director. I wonder what he was trying to show for an extended stretch of 15-20 minutes when Ranbir goes on a comic rampage and kills a few hundred goons, who are all attired in some comic headgear. Give me a break !

And who makes a 3 1/2 hours tamasha nowadays. Specially when at least one hour could easily have been reduced from the existing storyline (was there one ?). The father-son equation is supposedly the central theme. But alas, this theme comes alive only in first 10-15 minutes and last 10-15 minutes, out of a total of 3 1/2 hours madness. Rest is all a mockery of cinematic abilities. Akin to the detailed lessons in having prolonged sex in an aircraft which is put on auto pilot to facilitate our duo. Seriously ??!!

Anil Kapoor is brilliant as usual. He looks dapper and has put his best foot forward. Rashmika Mandhana is just about okay. Bobby Deol does not have much to do and fails to inspire the fear that Director has tried to convey. Ranbir Kapoor.... he is good but, like I said earlier, a very confused character build up has left a lot to be desired.

Someone asked me in the intermission that why is no police being shown when Ranbir bhai goes with his pind ka friends and they fire and kill at will in an India Investors Summit. Another time when he rains in a few lakhs of bullets to kill a few hundreds of people by a zabardast Make-in-India Vanga Reddy Killer Van... I mean, he kills at will... in broad daylight, with his friends, and then goes home and life continues as usual .... How is all this conceived without bringing even a semblance of law and order agencies to be seen??

So in reply, I was reminded of another horrible experience in October 2022. That was, KGF - Chapter 2. In KGF-2, Yash bhai plants a superbly upgraded kill-at-will Machine Gun outside a Police Station, rains a few thousands of bullets on the Police Station building, and when he is done, wow, he lights his cigarette with the red hot barrel of the killer Machine Gun. Another time in KGF-2, Yash bhai starts from Kolar with an automatic rifle in hand, drives to Bengaluru airport, flies to Delhi with the weapon in hand, drives inside the premises of the Parliament (there are better security guards outside the Malls), enters the House Chamber and opens fire.... Uff , kuch bhi, kaise bhi .... 

So these firing scenes depicted in our Animal fall in that genre where you have to switch off your mental faculties.

Here our Ranbir bhai flies with his friends, weapons and Range Rovers to Scotland, gets in a killing spree again, unnecessarily hacks Bobby Deol at a private airport and walks with the same blood drenched face to his dad in his home in India .... Uff , kuch bhi, kaise bhi ....

And we lap it up all, I don't know in the name of what ?? The movie has made 100s of crores by simply making a bottoms up Charlie of common people's emotions through an advertising blitzkrieg ....

It may be too late to say this, but, if possible, stay far from Animal folks. And it is definitely not for children. It's not a bad movie, It's headache stuff.

********************

Credits : World Wide Web