After the debatable outing of Tiger 3, the Hindi film industry has entered December with renewed hope.

Several movies are lined up for the big screen, including Animal, Sam Bahadur, Dunki, and Salaar. Interestingly, all four films are clashing in sets of two.

Animal and Sam Bahadur released today (Dec 1), while Dunki and Salaar are scheduled for 21 December.

Ranbir Kapoor has teamed up with Sandeep Reddy Vanga for the first time in Animal. The movie has been generating a lot of buzz of late.

Its craze is visible in the mind-boggling advance bookings.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Is Animal worth your money and time, running for almost 3 and a half hours? Let’s find out in my review.

Animal Synopsis

Ranvijay Singh has a tumultuous relationship with his father, Balbir Singh. Screaming for love and attention, he grows up feeling ignored but obliged.

Settled in America, he returns to India after hearing about a deadly attack on his father. Ranvijay’s violent, angry, and ‘ANIMALISTIC’ side comes to the fore as he goes on a rampage to find the attacker.

Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Animal features Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, and Anil Kapoor in lead roles.

Bobby Deol plays a cameo in the movie.

What Works for Animal?

Animal’s central concept is executed with finesse. Despite belonging to the revenge drama genre, the film manages to captivate without succumbing to monotony or predictability.

The father-son relationship precedes the ominous action adventure that goes on to present a never seen before mass cinema. 

I could sense the palpable excitement in the theater, marked by cheers and applause during the interval, attesting to the film’s impactful storytelling. 

Animal’s substantial pre-release hype set high expectations, and it effortlessly lives up to them with a compelling storyline.

Ranbir Kapoor’s portrayal of an overlooked son willing to go to any lengths for his father resonates profoundly with the audience.

His unwavering pursuit of those who attacked his family adds an intriguing layer to the character. 

The film ventures into new territory by depicting violence on a scale seldom seen in recent Indian cinema. 

The unapologetic approach towards intense emotions, stellar acting, and supreme action sequences place Animal a step ahead in the audience’s regard.

All ‘cinematic’ features in Animal deserve the last form of verb as adjectives. 

The plot’s engagement is fueled by the protagonist’s relentless determination, infusing energy into the action scenes. 

The portrayal of gang wars, while over-the-top, maintains a believable style and showcases resilience amidst intermittent upheavals. 

Furthermore, the background score, especially the theme music, is brilliant. It allows buildups to grow instantly on the viewer, keeping them invested for a prolonged duration. 

Speaking of duration, Animal maybe over three hours in length, but the movie never feels long or tardy. 

The allure is consistent.

Lastly, all the songs in the film are impactful. They evoke the right sentiments at the right time. 

Specifically, ‘Saari Duniya Jala Denge,’ that plays during the final face-off between Ranbir and Bobby Deol.

How are the Performances?

Ranbir Kapoor once again competes with his previous outings and beats them all effortlessly. He is a roaring force in Animal. 

The actor presents numerous facets of his versatile skillset and comes on top. His expressions, countenance, and fierce acuity take you on a fiery ride. 

Kapoor is trying to experiment with his roles, which is a good thing, considering the stage of his acting career. 

In Animal, he plays all possible parts, from a die-hard romantic to a violently obsessive goon.

His action scenes deserve standalone praise. Ranbir is a monster on the screen as a serious action hero.

Rashmika Mandanna portrays Geetanjali and impresses with her subdued personality. She makes herself visible in a movie dominated by men. 

Her biggest asset is her affable screen presence. It allows Rashmika to settle in and attract the audience distinctively. 

The actor’s natural dialogue delivery and brilliant composure were the standouts for me.

Anil Kapoor, as Balbir, utilizes his authentically built aura to charm the cinema hall. 

You can sense him putting all his physical strength into the character while still managing to look as unhindered as possible. 

His evergreen vocal intonations add more to an already wonderful performance.

Bobby Deal surpasses expectations in a very short cameo appearance. Yes, Deol doesn’t star in the movie as such. 

He just has a slight role when compared to the three-hour-long duration of the film. Even with the limited screen time, he does a lot to earn accolades.

His wild expressions, vicious characterization, and brutal physical abilities make Bobby Deol a force to reckon with in Animal.

What Doesn’t Work for Animal?

It is a vile film that rides on toxic masculinity. Though Sandeep Reddy Vanga tries hard to make it as soft as possible, he fails.

When the very innate feature of your film is chauvinism and male domination, how can you even try to hide it?

Learning from Kabir Singh, Vanga ensures that the guy doesn’t hit the girl this time. So, he reverses it and makes the girl slap the guy.

However, the rest of the features remain the same, from prioritizing the guy’s preferences to dehumanizing the girl’s liberty and treating her as an object.

Maybe, this is why in a packed theater, I could only notice 3-4 women. And trust me, vilification of females was an unnecessary thing which could’ve easily been avoided.

I remember Shahid Kapoor justifying Kabir Singh by emphasizing the absence of a villain in the movie.

In Animal, there are several potential villains, how will the team come up with a response?

Furthermore, a few scenes needed to be plotted differently to ameliorate their impact. The makers create timelines to make the screenplay interesting, but, at times, the idea doesn’t materialize.

Also, in some way or other, Animal blatantly promotes excessive, mindless violence. It justifies barbarity if done for the sake of one’s family.

There are no cops, rule of law, or controlled interventions.

A creative setup must cover all the possibilities to appear wholesome, which Animal doesn’t do. It fancies violence and embellishes the same with enhanced vigor.

But the thing here is that Animal is made keeping in mind the nature of the vast majority of Indians.

Even if critics dislike the film, the audience will fill the theatres because it reflects an ingrained thought process.

Also, word of mouth will grow solely on the back of a loud cinematic experience.

Watch or not?

Animal will give you what no other Indian action movie has recently. If the riders above don’t bother you, this is a must-watch film.

But box office collections won’t change Animal’s poor representation of women.

FAQs

What is Ranbir Kapoor’s Name in Animal?

His name is Ranvijay Singh ‘Balbir.’

Where Will Animal Stream on OTT?

Netflix has bagged the rights to stream Animal.

Will There Be Animal 2?

Yes, going by the ending of Animal, there will be a second installment of the movie.

What is Animal Park?

‘Animal Park’ is the potential name of Animal 2, in which we will see Ranbir Kapoor play a double role.

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