Overview
Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal arrived in cinemas like a wrecking ball — polarising audiences, critics, and casual moviegoers alike. Love it or loathe it, there's no denying that this nearly three-and-a-half-hour saga of a son's obsessive love for his father is one of the most viscerally audacious Bollywood films in recent memory.
The Story
Ranvijay Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) is the troubled son of a powerful industrialist, Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor). Haunted by a childhood starved of fatherly affection, Ranvijay grows into a volatile, possessive, and dangerously devoted man. When an assassination attempt on his father pulls him back into the family fold, Ranvijay's hunger for blood and belonging collides in spectacular, often deeply uncomfortable ways.
The film is not subtle. It isn't trying to be. Vanga leans hard into the ugliness of toxic masculinity, presenting it through a lens that refuses to fully condemn or redeem its protagonist — a deliberate creative choice that has fuelled enormous debate.
Performances
- Ranbir Kapoor is magnetic and terrifying in equal measure. This is a physically and emotionally demanding role, and he delivers with complete commitment.
- Anil Kapoor brings unexpected depth to Balbir Singh, making the father-son dynamic the emotional spine of the film.
- Rashmika Mandanna does her best with a role that, frankly, gives her far too little agency — one of the film's genuine weaknesses.
- Bobby Deol arrives late but leaves a mark, his restrained villainy a striking contrast to Kapoor's bombast.
Direction & Craft
Vanga directs with ferocious confidence. The action sequences — particularly the corridor fight scene — are some of the most inventively staged in Hindi cinema. Cinematographer Amit Roy shoots the film in warm, golden tones that contrast grotesquely with its violence, and the editing, while occasionally self-indulgent, keeps the narrative driving forward.
The Music
The Animal soundtrack deserves special mention. Tracks like Arjan Vailly and Satranga became cultural phenomena, the latter featuring Arijit Singh in what may be his most emotionally layered performance in years.
What Works & What Doesn't
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Ranbir Kapoor's performance | Treatment of female characters |
| Inventive action choreography | Bloated runtime in the second half |
| Father-son emotional core | Uneven tonal shifts |
| Striking cinematography | Thin supporting character arcs |
Verdict
Animal is not a comfortable film, and that is precisely the point. Whether Vanga is glorifying or dissecting his protagonist remains genuinely open to interpretation — and that ambiguity is both its greatest strength and its most contested quality. For those willing to engage with its provocation, Animal is a flawed but undeniably compelling piece of cinema.
Rating: 3.5 / 5