Rashmika Mandanna defends Ranbir Kapoor's messed-up character in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal: 'Nobody is forcing you…'

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, starring Rashmika Mandanna and Ranbir Kapoor in the lead roles, turned out to be a massive success at the box office despite facing criticism for its violence and misogynistic tone. In a recent interview with Mojo Story, Rashmika revealed whether the criticism around the film affected her. Rashmika Mandanna defends Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal.
While defending Animal, Rashmika spoke about giving up a film if ever asked to smoke on screen, and said, 'I saw the film as a film. When a hero is smoking on screen, people say he is influencing others to do so. But today, it's very normal in society for people to smoke. I don't go to watch a film to be influenced in any way. Personally, I would never smoke on screen, but that's my perspective. If I am part of Animal, I will still say go watch a film as a film. Now, if someone is going to be influenced by a film, then watch your kind of films. Nobody is forcing anybody to watch a film. If that were the case, every film would be a blockbuster.'
Rashmika said she was not taken aback by the debate surrounding the film and added, 'There are grey characters in each one of us—we are never just black or white. We all have grey in us. It's just that Sandeep Reddy Vanga spoke about a messed-up character, and that's about it. It seems to me that people have celebrated it because it made the numbers. So I didn't feel I had to be disturbed by the conversation. We made this film, it worked, people liked or disliked it—that's their personal thing. People should really go watch a film for what it is, and not judge an actor for playing these characters. It's acting for a reason.'
She added that actors are simply pretending on screen, and their real personalities are different from the characters they portray. About Animal
The action drama film follows Ranvijay "Vijay" Singh (played by Ranbir Kapoor), the son of a powerful industrialist (played by Anil Kapoor), and his troubled relationship with his father, which is further jeopardised after an assassination attempt on his father. Vijay undergoes a brutal transformation and sets out on a path of vengeance and destruction.
The film received criticism for its misogynistic tone, and celebrities like Javed Akhtar and Kangana Ranaut openly criticised it.
However, despite the backlash, it became a massive box office success, earning ₹ 915 crore worldwide. A sequel, titled Animal Park, is now in the works, with Ranbir Kapoor returning to headline the film. The filmmaker revealed that he will begin work on Animal Park after completing his upcoming film with Prabhas, titled Spirit.