Karan Johar has showered heavy praises on Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal. In a bold statement at the Mega Pan India Roundtable 2023 organised by Galatea Plus, Karan Johar declared the Ranbir Kapoor starrer the “best film of the year” and its success a “game-changer” for Indian cinema. Karan also admitted that he might get “dirty looks” for saying it.
Karan Johar calls Animal ‘best film of the year’
Karan Johar, seated right next to Sandeep Reddy Vanga during the roundtable, talked about his admiration for the film and how it is a stark contrast to his own recent romantic comedy, Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. He said, “People have come up to me after I spoke about how much I loved Animal, and said, ‘You have made Rocky Aur Rani, That’s the vaccination for a film like Animal. It’s the opposite extreme.” Responding to them, Karan said, “I can’t disagree with you more because I think Animal to me is my best film of the year.”
“It took me a while to reach to this statement and a lot of courage because when you are around people, you fear judgement. Like during the time of Kabir Singh, which I also loved… I was like I am going to say this and I am going to get dirty looks from certain people but I don’t care anymore,” Karan added further.
Explaining his take, the producer-director said, “I loved Animal for its front-footed, absolutely conviction-based narrative storytelling, breaking grammar, breaking myths, breaking everything that you think conforms to mainstream cinema. Suddenly you have an interval block where the hero is getting bashed up and everyone’s singing a song… I am like, Where have you seen a sequence like this?’ It’s genius.”
Karan Johar saw Animal twice, says he had tears in his eyes in climax
Speaking of the climax, Karan said, “The end, where the two men are going for each other and they play that song… I had tears in my eyes, but there was only blood. So I was like something is wrong with me or something is wrong with him, but something put together is very right about this film.
Heaping praises on Vanga, Karan said, “This is not an average thinking mind. This is the mind of someone who is so distinct, so individualistic that I was blown away. I saw the film twice, first as an audience member and second to study it. I think the success and acceptance of Animal is game-changing.”
Sharing why he thinks this way, the filmmaker said, “It’s going to bring in a tone and syntax which doesn’t exist. What I love about Sandeep in Kabir Singh and Arjun Reddy is that he has a popular song, he plays it and stops it whenever he wants to. He is telling his story with conviction, and that’s what I believe I also want to have which I had while making Rocky aur Rani,” he added.
Karan Johar said he was aroused by the cinema of Animal
Dismissing the debate around the film’s depiction of misogyny, Karan Johar concluded, “You can debate about it, you can debate the politics, the scenes, but I am aroused and engaged by the cinema of this film. You get into the nitty-gritty of every film, and you can find flaws and red flags, but for me, the biggest green flag is the talent of this man who has conceptualised this film. I have seen so many good films this year, but the only film which taught me something was this film.”
Karan also delivered a hit in 2023 with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The romantic drama was headlined by Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Shabana Azmi and Dharmendra.
(Also read: Varun Dhawan’s Dulhania 3 To Kick Off In 2024; Karan Johar Might Launch A Fresh Face Opposite Varun)
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