When Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film Animal arrived in theatres in 2023, audiences and critics had a lot to say about it. Lead star Ranbir Kapoor was lauded for his gritty performance whereas Bobby Deol was loved by the masses in his short yet impactful role. However, the film was criticised and accused of glorifying toxic masculinity and misogyny. In a recent podcast, director and co-writer Sandeep pointed out the same, claiming that he didn’t understand the disparity. Well, the filmmaker’s words have now left the internet divided.
In a chat with Komal Nahta, Sandeep Reddy Vanga shared, “One thing I'll tell you. People who criticised very badly, film-related people who criticised Animal. Everybody says ‘but Ranbir toh tod diya’. See, I'm not jealousy on Ranbir. But the point is ‘Ranbir toh tod diya but writer-director ne yeh kar diya’. I don't understand the disparity. So I understood they want to work with Ranbir. That's clear.” The filmmaker went on to explain that it's easy to comment on him because he’s new here. Well, this viral video has now reminded many netizens of his Bollywood directorial debut film Kabir Singh (2019), which was brutally trolled much like Animal. The only difference was that lead star Shahid Kapoor had also received backlash.
Under a Reddit thread, many netizens have now come out in Sandeep’s support, remembering the hate Kabir Singh and Shahid had received. For instance, one netizen claimed, “I strongly agree with his statement..when kabir Singh got released, shahid got equal flak for acting in it..but in animal ranbir somehow only got praised and all hatred was only for vanga..ranbir truly has lot of support,” whereas another remembered, “Even Shahid was trolled so badly for Kabir Singh but nobody has guts to point fingers at Ranbir. If a director is criticized for a socially wrong movie, it is the star who is glorifying it. If you really care about the impact on masses, the star should take a stand and refuse to do it.”
{{/usCountry}}Under a Reddit thread, many netizens have now come out in Sandeep’s support, remembering the hate Kabir Singh and Shahid had received. For instance, one netizen claimed, “I strongly agree with his statement..when kabir Singh got released, shahid got equal flak for acting in it..but in animal ranbir somehow only got praised and all hatred was only for vanga..ranbir truly has lot of support,” whereas another remembered, “Even Shahid was trolled so badly for Kabir Singh but nobody has guts to point fingers at Ranbir. If a director is criticized for a socially wrong movie, it is the star who is glorifying it. If you really care about the impact on masses, the star should take a stand and refuse to do it.”
{{/usCountry}}However, there are some internet users who are accusing the filmmaker of being a ‘cry baby’ and a ‘victim’. One such social media user wrote, “I’ve seen sore losers, he’s a sore winner. He gets the audience and he still complains. Imagine how much he’d complain if his movie tanked. He is such a cry baby,” whereas a comment read, “Ab Vanga bhi victim-victim khelega.. 🤣.” Another netizen claimed, “Gosh, why does he keep whining ALL THE TIMES.”
Sandeep and Ranbir will soon reunite for Animal’s sequel, titled Animal Park.