Ranbir Kapoor wants to be adopted by Telugu states; Rashmika Mandanna urges women to speak up on deepfakes

Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna and the rest of the Animal team visited Hyderabad to promote the film.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s third film, Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol and Anil Kapoor will hit screens on December 1. The team flew down to Hyderabad on Monday for the pre-release event in the evening that will see Mahesh Babu and SS Rajamouli in attendance. Ahead of the event, the team took part in a press meet where they spoke about everything from the film to their personal lives. (Read More: Animal advance booking: Ranbir Kapoor film collects ₹6.4 crore already, sells over 2 lakh tickets for day 1 in India)

Highlights from the conversation:

‘I love coming to Hyderabad’

Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna in Hyderabad

Ranbir Kapoor revealed that the first autograph he ever gave was in Hyderabad. “I love coming to Hyderabad, the first autograph I ever gave was here while promoting Saawariya. I want to be the adopted son of Telugu states,” he said, even as Anil Kapoor chipped in, “You will be called RK Rao from today.” What’s more, Ranbir even wanted to dub in Telugu for the role, but Sandeep didn’t like his accent. “It was too north Indian for his liking,” he explained.

‘I wish I could stay at home’

Ranbir loves his daughter Raha so much, he said he wished he didn’t have to work. “I wish I didn’t have to act but I do, it’s my passion. I lost my father recently and everyone who loses a parent feels like they didn’t have enough time together. My father was always travelling. I respected him but we were never friendly. But I’m glad I have a daughter to love. When God takes away something, he also gives something back,” he added.

‘It’s scary how we’ve normalised deepfakes’

‘I cannot confirm if I’m mute in the film’

Bobby Deol was asked about playing a mute character in the film and he immediately gestured that he cannot reveal that. “No such thing has been revealed. I think people just concluded that because I don’t speak any lines,” he said, cryptically, adding, “It was a very challenging role to play. I would hit the gym at 5 AM while shooting in England because I had shirtless scenes.” What’s more, he even hoped he gets to do a Telugu film someday, lending heat to rumours that he’ll star in a film with Balakrishna. “I came to Hyderabad as a child with my father. Years later I acted in a Telugu film, but it was never completed. I hope to do a Telugu film soon,” he smiled.

‘I owe my career to Bapu’

What many don’t know is that Anil Kapoor’s first film was a Telugu one, directed by Bapu, called Vamsa Vruksham. “I owe everything I am to him,” said Anil at the meet, adding, “SP Balasubrahmanyam had dubbed for me back then, we all miss him. I was lucky to have worked with a stalwart like K Viswanath also. It feels great to work with Vanga now.” He praised the director for giving people a chance based on their talent, rather than age or popularity. “Casting Bobby was a stroke of genius. We are ageist as a society, but talent is talent, irrespective of age. Sandeep knows whom to cast, which is why the film looks good,” he said.

‘Animal is not the film I wrote for Mahesh’

There was a time post Arjun Reddy when Sandeep Reddy Vanga narrated scripts to Mahesh Babu, Prabhas, Allu Arjun and other. Out of those, two of the projects have been officially announced. Rumours were afloat that Animal was first offered to Mahesh but the director was quick to correct. “The script I narrated to Mahesh is called Devil. He liked it but our schedules didn’t align. It’s similar only in terms of violence but it’s not the same film,” he said.

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