As soon as the first teaser of Animal was released, we realized that Sandeep Reddy Vanga had lived up to his promise that the film was going to have bloodshed and violence like no other. The director has a knack for creating characters that are loathsome and are an embodiment of toxic traits, yet he somehow finds a way to glorify them and show them in a good light. But even when we say that, we cannot deny that Sandeep Reddy Vanga knows the nerves of the masses, and the controversial Kabir Singh was a proof of that. So, let’s try to decipher, by looking at the trailer, what the probable story of Animal could be and what to expect from the various characters.
Spoiler Alert
Story and Plot
The first look at Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal made it pretty clear that it was going to be a violent revenge drama, where we would see the protagonist shedding blood and trying to make the people responsible for hurting his father pay for their acts. One of the prominent themes of Animal, as we clearly saw in the trailer, was the father-son relationship and how the son, the entire time, tried to get validation from his father. Ranbir’s character, since his childhood, had craved attention, specifically from his father, but he seemed to have no time for him. Maybe he was busy creating his own empire, as we saw that he was some sort of business tycoon who had multiple factories. Though the central theme has a lot of potential, it would also be interesting to see the kind of subplots that Vanga weaves into it and if Ranbir’s character is able to accomplish what he had set out for.
Cast and characters
We cannot write a trailer breakdown without commenting about the first few seconds that completely shook us to the core. It was not only Ranbir Kapoor and Anil Kapoor (who plays his father in the film) performances that stirred us from within, but the entire scene where a son asked his father to play him and vice versa, just to make him understand what he went through. It personally broke my heart, and it set the tone for the rest of the trailer. Those first few seconds were enough to lure me in, and I do believe that such an impactful trailer is definitely going to boost the business that the film is going to do. Ranbir endlessly tried to get the validation of his father, but he probably never got it in the end, which is why, as a last resort, he just wanted to make his father go through a similar feeling that he had gone through years ago. The role reversal, the shocked and miserable look on Anil Kapoor’s face, and obviously the tormenting roar of Ranbir’s character made it very clear that the film is going to unabashedly go into very dark places. The way Ranbir sought his father’s approval, be it by cutting his hair or growing it back, made us realize how desperate he was for it.
It became evident through the trailer that Ranbir’s character is very protective of his father, even when he has been literally ignored by him his entire life. He tells his wife Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna) in one of the teasers released earlier to question anything that he does but not to say a word against his father. The kind of protectiveness and toxic love he had for Balbir Singh made us realize that he was not in a stable state of mind. Probably, he was too soaked in toxic masculinity to embrace his own feelings, but it not only had an adverse impact on him at a later stage, but it completely ruined the lives of the people around him. We realized, looking at the trailer of Animal, that every other character revolved around this central plot. After his father got shot, obviously, the protagonist reacted in the most extreme manner and built an army, and seeked allegiance from people who were ready to kill or get killed. The blood bath that ensued wreaked havoc on the lives of people whom the protagonist considered to be responsible for hurting his father.
Obviously, it was expected that Rashmika’s character would be devoid of any sense of agency. There is no doubt about the fact that, be it Kabir Singh or Animal, the director has a knack for glorifying patriarchy. No one can take any credit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga for being an exceptional director who knows how to create gut-wrenching moments, but it is a matter of fact that his lead man is always a toxic person, and the narrative not only tends to venerate his actions but also somehow manages to show some empathy for him. We understand that films do not have any moral obligation to give the right message, but considering the impact a film has on people in a country like India, it wouldn’t take much to not laud the patriarchy if not condemn it explicitly.
As far as the trailer goes, Rashmika evidently felt miserable, as her husband was adamant about ruining his life for nothing. She tells him that he was chasing ghosts and how she wished that her father had died that day when he was shot, but nobody could deter the protagonist, who, in a real sense had transformed into an Animal. Throughout the trailer, we saw Rashmika’s character get dominated by the protagonist, and we believe that in the end, she would have to accept her fate as her husband looked relentless in his pursuit and was not going to stop until he found and killed his enemy.
From the trailer, it looks like Bobby Deol’s character in Animal is the one who ordered the attack on Balbir Singh to be carried out. As of now, we do not know why he was after Balbir Singh, but one thing is clear: because of it, the Grim Reaper was after his life, and during the end of the trailer, we saw both brawny men enter into deadly combat. We have to say here that Bobby’s entire demeanor, from his attire to his physical features, captivated our attention. Apart from these prominent characters, we also caught a glimpse of Tripti Dimri, Shakti Kapoor, and Suresh Oberoi in Animal‘s trailer.
When And Where to watch
With a runtime of over 200 minutes, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s magnum opus is going to be released on December 1 in your nearest theaters.
