Animal Review: Ranbir Kapoor- Sandeep Reddy Vanga Movie Is About Ghosts, Killers, Heroes, Sons And Dads Of ‘Man’s World’
The cognitive abilities humans possess, the cultural and social structures they create and participate in complex social structures, a high level of self-awareness and consciousness that enable them to reflect on their own thoughts, emotions, and actions, the remarkable adaptability to different environments and climates, the way they engage in symbolic thinking and creativity and the complex moral and ethical frameworks that guide individual and societal behaviour make humans different from other animals from the animal kingdom. Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Animal’ will give you an idea why these characteristics define humans. The hero in the movie is an animal, especially, created by the experiences from the ‘papa-less’ childhood and formative years.
The story is about the inner ghosts, demons, animals and bad people who find resort in violence. In ‘Animal’, Ranbir Kapoor character being such a person, doesn’t care about the aftermaths of what he is doing. The hero, apart from some shades of romance you see in between, has only one weapon in hands: Violence. This movie is actual ‘Sin City’ meet ‘Kill Bill’ stuff with full of murders, guns, daggers, slaps and hate. Genre theory examines how films conform to and subvert genre conventions. In this case, the film is situated within the action or thriller genre, where violence is often a central element. The director, who has done a fantastic job in the movie, aims to create such movie from this particular genre, and it turns out to become collection of bloodbath from the beginning.
Sceptics might ask what was the need for creating a violent movie based on one single person’s ‘papa-issues”. ‘Kabir Singh’ and ‘Arjun Reddy’ director’s movie is not just about that. It is about the ‘Animal’ lives in each one of us or among us.
Do you remember the movie ‘Rockstar’ of Ranbir Kapoor? Remove the creative individual of ‘Janardan “Jordan” Jakhar’ from his whole mannerisms, then give Ranbir Kapoor ton load of machine guns and daggers, you will get ‘Ranvijay Singh’ of ‘Animal’ with a lot upbringing issues – as simple as that. But, he has grown big enough now to shoulder big projects and, in this movie, the acting by Mr Kapoor is big enough as well.
Only sigh of breath in the whole movie is Rashmika Mandanna and the gang of security men from Punjab who comes to protect ‘Papa’ from a family that seeks revenge for something happened in the past. The writers have given enough room for Rashmika to perform in a movie that mostly shows the violent responses of a men to any situation they confront. Her duels and conversations she has with Ranbir Kapoor’s husband character is most times not ideal, but she stands and up deliver her best in a ‘men’s’ movie. There is a particular dialogue in the movie that sums up the characters, and their roles in a way – “you had forgiven me for the murders I committed, but why can”t you now” (Rajvijay asks Rashmika”s Gitanjali as he reveals about his extramarital relationship).
Performances of other actors including Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol and Tripti Dimri are excellent, especially the “more delinquent than the violent hero” showdown by Bobby Deol.
The story begins and ends with references to forest and stories from there. The references and connotations are spot on at various scenes in “Animal”, – where else would an “animal” live. Perception theorists wouldn”t agree with this argument though.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga is still in his old place, has not moved a bit. Simply saying: as in Kabir Singh, he delivers another story about another chauvinist.
