Ranbir Kapoor Responds to Criticism of ‘Animal’: ‘Social Media Played Havoc’

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, which premiered in December last year, achieved blockbuster status despite facing significant criticism. Ranbir Kapoor recently shared his thoughts on the backlash during an appearance on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, People by WTF.

Ranbir Kapoor’s Take on the Backlash: During the podcast, Ranbir Kapoor discussed the intense reactions to the film, highlighting the role of social media in shaping public opinion. He stated, “Social media played havoc. They needed something to talk about, so they really went to town claiming it was a misogynistic film. The hard work that you put in gets diminished because it gets this tag, which isn’t true. The perception stayed with this film.”

Ranbir mentioned that several members of the Indian film industry had also expressed their disappointment to him. Despite this, he chose to respond diplomatically, often apologizing even though he disagreed with the criticism. “I quietly apologize and say, ‘Sorry I won’t do it next time.’ I don’t really agree with them, but I am in that phase of my life where I don’t argue with anyone. If you don’t like my work, I will say I am sorry I will try harder next time,” he said.

Breaking Away from His Usual Roles: Ranbir revealed that his decision to take on Animal was motivated by a desire to break away from his established “good boy” image. “I had always been following a career path where I was doing good roles, trying to give good social messages, play the ‘good boy’ basically, the coming-of-age romantic image that I had. So, I found this very bold, adult-rated. I was scared that maybe the audience will not accept me,” he explained. Despite the film’s success, he acknowledged that a significant portion of the audience found the film to be misogynistic and problematic.

Would He Do It Again? When asked if he would take on the film again, Ranbir confirmed that he would. He felt that Animal came at a crucial time in his career when he needed to challenge himself. “When the film released, even though it did amazing numbers and we got a lot of love, there is a big audience which found the film misogynist and wrong, in some way,” he noted.

About the Film: Animal explores a troubled father-son relationship, with Ranbir Kapoor portraying Rannvijay Singh, who seeks revenge after an attempt on his father’s life. The cast includes Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna, Triptii Dimri, and Anil Kapoor in significant roles. Despite the controversy, Animal became a box office hit. A sequel, Animal Park, is reportedly in development.

Ranbir’s insights highlight the challenges of balancing artistic risks with audience expectations and the impact of social media on public perception.