Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal is hitting cinemas tomorrow and anticipation for the film is all over. Film is 3 hours 21 minutes long and is releasing with ‘A’ certificate. Despite these shortcomings, amazing trailer and fantastic songs have done the trick.
Backed by Bhushan Kumar, Pranay Reddy Vanga, Murad Khetani, and Krishan Kumar, film stars Ranbir Kapoor along with Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna.
Plot
Animal takes you on a gory and violent journey and for the large part of it. It just immerses you in its gripping tale and scale, but often leaves you in bewilderment each time the hero in is action. Glorified as an anti-hero, Ranvijay Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) idolises and worships his father Balbir Singh’s (Anil Kapoor), and spends most of his childhood seeking his love and attention but all in vain. So daddy issues start pretty young in his life and have obvious repercussions on most of his formative years.
Cut to high school through a flashback sequence, he had entered his sister’s college with a gun to teach a lesson to those, who ragged her. As a punishment, he not only gets a series of tight slaps across his face from his dad, but is soon sent to a boarding school in the US. He returns for his father’s 60th birthday but ends up in a scuffle with his brother-in-law Varun (Siddharth Karnick). Soon after, a love angle is introduced and he again flees to the US with is lady love Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna), as the families don’t accept their inter-caste marriage.
He returns, once again, after eight years, following a shooting attack on his father, and he is no longer the same Ranvijay. The hair has grown (thankfully nothing odd about the wig here), the bearded look is making him look even more dashing and he has become far more ferocious, deadly and ruthless. Waging a war to kill Abrar Haque (Bobby Deol), who is after his father’s life, Ranvijay is on a mission that nobody can stop him from achieving. What forms the climax is bloodbath and revenge followed by even more violent post credit scene.
Performances:
Animal is Ranbir Kapoor show all the way. He is gruesome, intense and looks dashing in almost every look (he has 5-6 looks in the film). Ranbir Kapoor never hits a wrong key despite lot of unreasonable and misogynistic actions. His conviction as an actor and range as performer are on film display here. This is not as nuance as Barfi!, Rockstar or Sanju but still this is different side of him as an actor.
Rashmika Mandanna is decent and manages to hold her place in unidimensional role. Anil Kapoor has half baked character but still he is very good as father. Bobby Deol is good in cameo as mute villain. Tripti Dimri leaves an impact in brief role. Suresh Oberoi, Shakti Kapoor and Prem Chopra are good in brief cameos. Rest of the cast is decent and fits the bill.
Analysis:
First of all, film is throughly entertaining for todays’s youth. It delivers what it promises: action, gore, violence and partial nudity. Pre Interval action and climax action smartly cut with terrific songs in background. B Praak song Saari Duniya Jala Denge during Ranbir – Bobby climax fight and Arjan Vally during pre interval action are the best moments of the film. Ranbir – Rashmika chemistry and dialogues are noteworthy.
Film lacks logic and coherent screenplay. Animal is determined to give you a headache as the high-pitched dialogues are certain to pierce through your ears causing discomfort. Then, there are portions you wish were underplayed – visually and verbally. multiple references to male’s pubic hair as a symbol of manhood isn’t too pleasant. Or when Ranbir is discussing about his sex life with a psychologist post his accident. The screenplay that Sandeep has co-written with Pranay Reddy Vanga and Saurabh Gupta takes care of all gripping elements and ensures that each frame offers a cinematically visual treat. But, amid all this logic takes a backseat, and the story is continuously being dragged, especially in the second half.
Director gets in his element showing his hero turn into a chauvinist and misogynist with so much ease, and then putting the idea of a toxic marriage on a pedestal. Whether it’s him pulling her bra string multiple time and leaving her with bruises only to later calm her down, or him cheating her with another women but she coming back to kiss and caress him – this is taking the Kabir Singh legacy forward and multiplying it many times over. Also film gets confused towards the end between being a father – son story or out and out gory revenge drama.
Dialogues by Saurabh Gupta are average. Screenplay by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Pranay Reddy Vanga and Suresh Bandaru is biggest shortcoming of the film. Amit Roy has shot film really well specially in confined indoor spaces. Sandeep Reddy Vanga as editor fails big time as it could had been easily cut by 20-25 minutes. Production Design by Suresh Selvrajan is good and Sheetal Sharma’s costumes are apt.
Verdict:
Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga has his unique voice and he presents it well with commercial trappings. But what he achieved as director in Kabir Singh/ Arjun Reddy, he fails to achieve with Animal – the soul of the narrative! Film is so busy surprising the audience with visual shocks that it loses its grip over screenplay and required emotions for the plot. Stylish guns, too much violence, gore, nudity and love making can not entertain beyond a point. But this might score big among today’s youth and will be a bonafide blockbuster.
Rating:
Critic Rating: 2/5
Box Office Rating: 4/5
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