Animal Started Healthy Conversation About Toxic Masculinity, Says Ranbir Kapoor

Ranbir Kapoor headlined the Sandeep Reddy Vanga film Animal. The movie hit the big screens on December 1 and made its digital debut recently on January 26. Even though the movie scripted history by becoming the fastest Hindi film to gross ₹500 crores at the domestic box office, it was labelled as ‘violent’ and ‘misogynistic’. In a new interview, the actor has opened up about the negative chatter surrounding the film. 

Ranbir Kapoor says Animal has started a conversation on toxic masculinity 

Ranbir Kapoor recently sat in a conversation with Netflix where the film has debuted on the digital platform. Addressing Animal being labelled as toxic, the actor said, “There is a very healthy conversation that has started about toxic masculinity also, which is a great thing because cinema, at least, it starts a conversation. If something is wrong, if you don’t show that it is wrong, and unless conversation starts in the society, we will never realise it.” 

The actor further stated, “So the roles we are playing, those are characters. It is very important that as actors, we have empathy for them because we need to play it. But as an audience, you should decide what’s wrong. You can make a film on the wrong person and it should be made. Because if you don’t make a film on them, society will never improve.” Bobby Deol, who also featured in the video said, “Storytelling is the reflection of society. It’s showing you what is happening in the society and there are so many things we don’t want to talk about.” 

Ranbir Kapoor says everyone applauded when he took off his shirt 

In the same conversation, Ranbir Kapoor also discussed how much training he had to go through for the film. He admitted that while shooting for the film, he was confident with his body. He said, “Trainers were taking my photos in the gym because I was the first one to remove my shirt in the film. So, when I removed my shirt the whole unit started clapping that ‘hero ne shirt nikali (Hero has removed his shirt).’”

However, he confessed that his confidence took a downslope when Bobby Deol appeared without his shirt. He recalled, “Two days later, when Bobby’s shirt was removed, me and my trainer thought we are gone.”