Animal: Is Sandeep Reddy Vanga Glorifying Misogyny And Toxic Masculinity?

Time and again, `Arjun Reddy` director creates a conclave of toxic men toying around with entitlement.

New Delhi: Like it or not, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga has undoubtedly made a space for himself in the world of cinema. From 'Arjun Reddy', 'Kabir Singh' to 'Animal', the lead characters are rogue, toxic, violent, and misogynist.

Ranbir Kapoor-starrer 'Animal' is out. The lead actor plays 'Ranvijay Singh', and fans are stunned with the level of obsessive behaviour he depicts. In the hunt for his father's rivals, the 'alpha male' image is further boosted. The film is bound to irk feminists. On the other hand, 'Geetanjali' played by Rashmika Mandanna is submissive and silent. 

The film is laced with Ranvijay compliments Geetanjali for her 'wide pelvis, suitable for healthy babies.' From apparent violence to mansplaining to infidelity - Sandeep Reddy Vanga perfectly makes his 'alpha male' characters as nothing but a girl's nightmare. 

In an interview with CNN-News 18, Vanga commented on the buzz created by 'Kabir Singh', “I didn’t think much about it. I don’t think that Kabir Singh was a misogynistic film. Only four-five people felt offended, and created noise about it. I never took them seriously.”

He added, “Not more than 20 people in total, it was their point-of-view. We should not talk about all that, bhool jao Kabir Singh ko (forget about Kabir Singh).”

Released in 2019, 'Kabir Singh' starred Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani in the lead roles. Despite being a huge success at the box office, the film was criticized for the portrayal and justification of toxic masculinity and misogyny.  

Recently, Ranbir Kapoor opened up on why Sandeep Reddy Vanga's directorial has been titled 'Animal'. He said, "Once you see the film, you will understand." Then he went on to elaborate the reason and said, "I think the reason why Sandeep Reddy Vanga called this film Animal is because animal behaves out of instinct. They don't behave out of thought. So this character that I'm playing, he behaves out of instinct to protect his family. He is not thinking he is behaving out of instinct, he is impulsive, and I think that's where the title Animal came and once you see the film you'll realize that this film suits this title."