Rajkummar Rao praises Ranbir Kapoor in Animal but reveals having some concerns

Even after nine months since its release, Animal starring Ranbir Kapoor remains a hot topic. Recently, Rajkummar Rao chimed in, expressing his admiration for the film, praising Kapoor's outstanding performance under Sandeep Reddy Vanga's direction. Despite his appreciation, Rajkummar also acknowledged having some reservations about certain aspects of the movie.

“I loved Animal, the experience of watching Animal. I enjoyed it. Did I have some issues with the film? Maybe. Some scenes here and there, yes. But did I not enjoy the film? Of course not, I enjoyed the film, I enjoyed the experience of watching the film. I loved Ranbir Kapoor in it and his performance in the film was mind-blowing,” Rao said during his recent appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast.

In December 2023, Animal hit the screens, delving into a man's turbulent bond with his father. The movie depicted Vijay (portrayed by Ranbir) as an anti-hero willing to do anything for his father, even resorting to violence by taking down 200 individuals. Despite his endeavors, gaining his emotionally distant father's approval (played by Anil Kapoor) proved challenging. The film raked in over Rs 900 crore globally, yet faced criticism for its perceived toxic and misogynistic themes under Sandeep Reddy Vanga's direction.

In a recent discussion, Javed Akhtar referred to Animal when talking about the 'angry young man' trope in movies. He highlighted that portraying irrational anger without a specific target can lead the character to become a caricature, shedding light on the complexities of such portrayals in cinema.”I have not seen Animal. People told me about it, and I read in the news that he asks her to lick his shoe. She bends down, but thank god they cut it right there,” he said during an episode of We Are Yuvaa.

On Thursday, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt chimed in on the backlash Ranbir received post Animal's release, acknowledging that public scrutiny comes hand in hand with the entertainment industry. “That’s also part of entertainment… It is a blood sport. You get into the arena and there will be people celebrating you falling down and there will be people celebrating you triumphing. So that’s a part of it,” he said.