Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore has expressed her mixed feelings about Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film “Animal.” In a recent interview on the YouTube channel “Dil Se Kapil Sibal,” Tagore acknowledged the film’s significant impact despite her reservations about its content. She pointed out that while “Animal” featured a high degree of violence, it was the underlying misogyny that particularly troubled her.
“There was a film called ‘Animal’ recently… beyond violence, there was misogyny. But there were a lot of women in the audience who said, ‘I want somebody to love me like that.’ Any film that runs a lot, you cannot rubbish it. You have to engage with it, try and understand what exactly is happening here,” Tagore remarked.
During the interview, Tagore highlighted the need to engage with successful films to comprehend their resonance with audiences, rather than dismissing them outright.
She also discussed the comparative success of the film “Laapataa Ladies,” noting that it surpassed “Animal” in viewership once both films were available on the same platform.
“Laapataa Ladies did well even theatrically as it was within the budget, whereas ‘Animal’ spent a lot of money and made a huge amount of money also, she said.
“There is that stark difference in budgets and it will continue. I don’t see it shortly that it is going to change… So, the smaller films will also get their money back but not in the quantity that say a Ranbir Kapoor or a Ranveer Singh will bring,” Tagore added.
“Animal,” directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, was one of the biggest hits of last year, stirring considerable debate since its release. The film, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor, and Triptii Dimri, received mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike. Despite the polarized reception, it emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of 2023, earning over ₹900 crore worldwide.