Sandeep Reddy Vanga affirms Ranbir Kapoor, not Mahesh Babu, was always the lead choice for Animal

Ranbir Kapoor has been the talk of the town since the release of "Animal" on December 1, where his stellar performance as Ranvijay has garnered widespread acclaim. Recent reports suggesting that the role was initially offered to Mahesh Babu have been addressed by director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who clarified that Kapoor was his first and only choice for the gripping thriller.

Vanga revealed that Ranbir Kapoor quickly agreed to be a part of "Animal" within just 10 minutes of the initial narration. The director stated, "Ranbir was my first choice for 'Animal,' there was nobody else. In the beginning, when I had the idea right after 'Kabir Singh,' I met him after a few months and told Ranbir that I was thinking along these lines, I gave him 10-15 minutes of narration, just the beginning, middle, and end. We told him about the craft and just the character transition. He said Sandeep this sounds very interesting, finish the script and we will do it. Just based on the 10 minutes narration he said yes to the film."

According to Vanga, Ranbir Kapoor was the ideal fit for the character of Ranvijay, and the director had him in mind from the beginning. It is unclear why, but as the scenes, treatment, and the journey of the story were explored, he was the only individual in the director's mind. Involuntarily and unknowingly, a customized story for him took shape; he seamlessly fitted into the scenes during the writing process

Praising Kapoor as a 'good actor,' Vanga expressed his admiration for the actor's work, citing his impressive performances in movies like "Sanju." The director mentioned that he has been a fan of Kapoor's work and has watched almost all of his movies over the years.