Javed Akhtar labels 'Animal' success as 'dangerous'; makers react!

The makers of Ranbir Kapoor’s Box Office juggernaut, ‘Animal’ strongly react to the comments of veteran poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar, labelling the film’s success as ‘dangerous’.

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In his recent outing at a film festival in Aurangabad, Indian poet Javed Akhtar criticised the success of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s misogynistic titles like ‘Animal’, ‘Kabir Singh’ and the song ‘Choli Ke Peeche’, calling it ‘dangerous and scary’, as he held audience responsible for making them massive hits.

Without naming any of the films of the South-Indian filmmaker, he said, “If there’s a film in which a man asks a woman to lick his shoe, if a man says it’s okay to slap a woman… and the film is a super hit, that’s dangerous.”

Akhtar continued, “More than the filmmaker, the onus lies with the audience today. You take responsibility too for the kind of films you watch. That’s what decides what kind of films will be made. You decide what’s made and what should be rejected. The value and moralities shown in our films lie in your hands.”

Reacting strongly to the veteran’s statement, the team hit back with a post on the official X handle of the film, which read, “Writer of your calibre cannot understand the betrayal of a lover (Between Zoya & Ranvijay) then all your art form is big FALSE.

Writer of your calibre cannot understand the betrayal of a lover (Between Zoya & Ranvijay) then all your art form is big FALSE 🙃 & If a woman (betrayed and fooled by a man in the name of love) would have said “lick my shoe” then you guys would have celebrated it by calling it…

— Animal The Film (@AnimalTheFilm) January 7, 2024

The makers further justified, “If a woman (betrayed and fooled by a man in the name of love) would have said ‘lick my shoe’ then you guys would have celebrated it by calling it feminism.”

“Let love be free from the politics of gender. Let’s just call them lovers. LOVER cheated and lied. LOVER said lick my shoe. Period,” the team added and tagged the lyricist.

Pertinent to note here that the Kapoor-led neo-noir action thriller of Vanga, ‘Animal’ scored a bumper opening upon its release in December 2023 and has been a major Box Office success, claiming numerous feats with its numbers.

However, despite the commercial success, ‘Animal’ drew polarizing reactions from critics, with many calling it misogynistic, like previous outings of Vanga, including ‘Arjun Reddy’ and ‘Kabir Singh’.

From ‘Jawan’ to ‘Animal’: A look at Bollywood’s biggest Box Office hits of 2023