Animal movie review: Violence reaches its zenith. Gore takes the centerstage. It's bloodbath all over. It's wild and wicked. Sandeep Reddy Vanga's much-awaited Animal has been unleashed sending Ranbir Kapoor in a devilish, menacing and unhinged avatar. Do we love him? Yes, of course! Do we resent him, hell yes! Animal's problematic premise has already been discussed since it's teaser and trailer were unveiled. What the full film offers is a series of events, emotions and sequences leading up to a rather underwhelming climax, which is so rushed that you keep waiting if something more is yet to come post the end credits.
Animal is wild and wicked
The premise and main charcaters
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
Ranbir Kapoor as an epitome of misogyny
Ranbir makes you fall for him
In a scene, when Ranbir operates a high-tech fancy shooting machine killing over 300 heavily armed men, Sandeep aptly places a Kabir doha (bura jo dekhan main chala) making Ranbir's entry even more heroic. Nuances such as these uplift Animal at quite a few places. Oh, there's a subtle plug of 'Made in India' and Atmanirbhar Bharat too.
What does not work
For instance, 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.
One thing Bollywood has seamlessly normalised from DDLJ to Animal is the hero breaking into the girl's house and luring her into calling off her wedding. In Animal, slightly differently though, Ranvijay makes Geetanjali fall for him through a lesson on 'alpha males'. Quite cliched, but she's sold in no time, so much so that even if he comments, 'You have got a big pelvis', she doesn't really shut him up. Later, while eloping in a chartered plane, the two indulge in steamy lovemaking session, and once married, when Geetanjali asks how was it, Rannvijay doesn't flinch an eyelid while discussing that it was him who had a lot to manage as they were having sex against gravity and since the man was on top, she has nothing much to do.
What works
Among other parts, Anil Kapoor delivers an earnest performance, and he evidently was feeding off Ranbir's energy on screen. You'd find their scenes together relatable whether it's violent ones or the emotional bits. Among others, Charu Shankar as Ranvijay's mum, Anshul Chauhan and Saloni Batra as his sisters play their parts well. Prem Chopra and Shakti Kapoor in cameos make their presence felt, while Tripti Dimri in a special appearance is a treat to watch out for. Last but not the least, I felt cheated watching Bobby Deol's screen time. Firstly, he comes in the film only after 2.5 hours, and with barely two full-fledged scenes and no line to speak, I felt he was terribly wasted in what actually could have been the best opportunity to cash in. But, I must say, even in the two-three scenes we see Bobby in, he leaves you startled.
What I truly enjoyed throughout the film was BGM and the songs being played in the background, especially during the action sequences. Watch out for the 10-minute long fight between Ranbir and Bobby during the climax and the track Saari Duniya Jalaa Denge in B Praak's voice just makes it worth it. Papa Meri Jaan is another track you would instantly fall in love with and it is all heart.
Animal is an absolute massy, entertaining and extremely violent thriller which doesn't believe in conforming to the norms. The bloodshed isn't for the weak hearted to watch, so practice caution if you decide to watch it because there's a lot of it, and you might not be able to take that much.
