Animal Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga Takes A Veiled Dig At Kiran Rao For Kabir Singh Criticism

Sandeep Reddy Vanga has wrapped up a rather successful run at the theatres with his latest cinematic outing, Animal, having minted upwards of ₹900 crores globally. The film has courted much debate and mounting controversy over its polarising content accused of glorifying violence and misogyny. This is also not the first time Vanga's film finds itself embroiled in controversy. His previous release, Kabir Singh, met with a similar audience response. In a recent interview, Vanga has in particular addressed the criticism his 2019 film Kabir Singh received, from filmmaker Kiran Rao in particular.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga takes a veiled dig at Kiran Rao

Sandeep Reddy Vanga in a recent interview with Dainik Bhaskar, called out Kiran Rao for certain statements she had made about his 2019 film Kabir Singh. Kabir Singh and Baahubali 2 have been cited by Rao in the past, as specimens of cinema which glorify stalking. Without referring to Rao directly, Vanga has in turn cited examples from the Aamir Khan starrer Dil (1991) and a certain song, both of which are also morally questionable in the same light. 

He said, "The second ex-wife of a superstar is saying that Baahubali 2 and Kabir Singh promote misogyny and endorse stalking...I want to tell that woman, go and ask Aamir Khan about the song 'Khambe jaisi khadi hai', what was that? Then come back to me. If you remember Dil, he almost attempts rape, and makes her feel like she has done the wrong thing. And then they fall in love. What was all that?"

Sandeep Reddy Vanga defends Kabir Singh once again

The same interivew also saw Vanga, once again rationalise the protagonist's (essayed by Shahid Kapoor) approach to wooing the girl (essayed by Kiara Advani) in Kabir Singh. He said, "If a boy doesn't approach a girl, then how will he propose? So, why make such a big deal out of it?" Additionally, on being asked if he felt targeted by the industry response, Vanga affirmed that he felt that was the case, intentionally.

He further shared how there are some in the industry who consider the Hindi film industry as their own territory and are resistant to letting others in with their creativity. Animal and Kabir Singh are both streaming on Netflix.