It's controversial/ Sandeep Vanga refutes being Islamophobic, reveals why Bobby Deol’s character in Animal is Muslim

Sandeep Reddy Vanga is currently making headlines for delivering a blockbuster hit Animal. After the film's release, there has been some chatter about how the filmmaker is ‘Islamophobic’. The prime antagonist in the movie Abrar Haque was initially Sikh but later converted to Islam. Sandeep, in a recent interview, has in detail explained why Bobby Deol's character converted himself into a Muslim. 

Sandeep Reddy says people undergo conversion after facing personal setbacks

In conversation with Galatta Plus, Vanga said, “I’ve seen people, when they enter a zone of zero confidence, people will come and say to them, ‘Go to a church, or go to a baba, he’ll give some taweez, change your name…’ I’ve seen people changing their religion because so much has happened to them. At a low point, they feel like it’s a new birth, it’s a change of identity completely…”

He continued, “We see a lot of people converting to Islam and Christianity; we never see anybody converting to Hinduism. So, I thought I’ll use this, because you can get multiple wives in Islam. I can have multiple cousins with different faces; the drama will be bigger. That’s the only reason. There was no intention to show a Muslim in a bad light…”

Bobby Deol reacts to marital rape scene in Animal

If one remembers, Bobby’s character Abrar was seen violently going ahead to have sex with his wife soon after being informed about his brother’s death. While addressing the controversial scene in one of his promotional interviews, Bobby said, “I’m not trying to promote anything. Yes, it was required. How do you showcase a character in such a short span, show what this man is capable of, what kind of person he is? All these scenes were required.”

Also starring Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor and Triptii Dimri, Animal earned over Rs 843 crores globally and emerged as the third-biggest Indian film of 2023.