Freedom is a double-edged sword. It enables the speech that cuts through inequality. In the same vein, it also facilitates the propagation of structures which society has fought hard to dismantle. Animal director Sandeep Reddy Vanga unabashedly chooses the latter. The result? Rave reviews, scathing criticism, and 900-crores at the box-office.

Here’s my two cents on Vanga’s latest.

The blot

Ranvijay Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) is the only male heir to steel magnate Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor). Neglected by his father, Ranvijay sets on a quest to win Balbir’s attention. To this end, Ranvijay unleashes an ‘animalistic’ side – mostly comprising criminal intimidation, wholesale slaughter, and general indecency.

He finds an ideal mate in Gitanjali (Rashmika Mandanna), a schoolfriend’s sister and former school-junior. At her engagement, Ranvijay takes the opportunity to explain why he is the alpha male for her. He finishes by complimenting her large pelvis, which he assures is ideal for bearing children. Convinced, Gitanjali promptly breaks off her engagement and marries Ranvijay instead.

Ranvijay is passionate and dutiful. Given his father’s absence, he proclaims himself the ‘man of the house’. He protects his sisters at all costs, even if that means discharging an AK-47 rifle in a college classroom, ramming an SUV into bike-riders, or generally yanking away any choice left to his sisters. His mother barely has a voice or say.

Interestingly, despite a boastful love for his father, Ranvijay continually defies and humiliates him, and at one point even effectively places him under house arrest.

The antagonist, Abrar Haque (Bobby Deol), appears in the last 20-odd minutes. Since he is supposed to be more alpha, Abrar has three wives and thrice the barbarism. He has only one motive – to demolish Balbir’s empire.

You’ve got male

Animal is not just senseless guns and gore. It’s an argument. ‘It’s a man’s world’, says Ranvijay (read Vanga). And in this world, only the ‘alpha’ males will thrive. They protect, you prosper. Each woman gets to choose the alpha, the man she must serve in exchange for protection. All else is up for grabs. All must be taken, preferably with brute force.

Of course, not all men can be alpha. Those remaining are bound to be jealous. So, they resort to such gimmicks as poetry and prose. Now, the alpha males must take back what belongs to them. They must reestablish the old order with vengeance, violence, and – for some reason – excessive body hair.

Vanga’s aspirational world is the relic of a distant past; when survival was the only instinct and brute strength was the only power. However, much to Vanga’s discomfiture, man has since experienced evolution. Man learned to reason, question everything; and set the ball rolling on leveling the ‘natural’ playing field. Where an individual is not just a part of the whole, but also a part apart. Where women are not defined by men; and men are not defined by masculinity. Albeit far from ideal, today’s world is inching closer to a balanced society.

Vanga’s film reveals the fragilities of an alpha male. His strength must be flaunted to be believed. He must harm to thrive; stifle all voices to be heard. The greatest threat to him comes from free thought. Take away the pre-installed advantages of patriarchy, caste, and class – and the Indian alpha male will struggle to command any power. Likewise, if women and other disadvantaged groups are given their due, alpha males would be forced to compete solely on merit. To the Vangian alpha male, equality is a necessary anathema.

In any case, the Animal protagonist is barely an alpha. He is born filthy rich and powerful. He is under no pressure to succeed. No shackles. No police. No consequences. He just happens to be trained in weapons and combat. Despite his penchant for mass murder, infidelity, and exhibitionism, his wife remains largely supportive. Though he suffers a few life-threatening wounds, he is fully fit in time – a brand new heart included – for the climactic fight.

The preconditions for Animal’s alpha are simply unavailable to its audience. Vanga’s hero is, at best, a heavily assisted beta (pun intended). The film therefore serves as an escapist outlet for the men whose privileges have been snatched away by feminists, rationalists, and poets.

Last words

Animal is a tough watch. Dragging on for a painful 3-and-half hours, it feels like the cinematic equivalent of a vulture feasting upon one’s eyes.

That said, not everything is excruciatingly dull. There’s some good music, background score included. Ranbir Kapoor is near his best. In lesser hands, Ranvijay would have come off as a comical man-child. Kapoor’s commitment makes him viscerally nauseating. Anil Kapoor is also convincing as the absentee father. Bobby Deol makes for an interesting cameo. All other performances pale in comparison. Rashmika Mandanna does not seem invested in her role at all – understandably so.

Overall, Animal is a mind-melting experience that offers no notable storytelling, chemistry, action, suspense, romance, bromance, or revenge. Misogyny and mediocrity, Vanga’s crown jewels, radiate throughout. Avoidable at best, actionable at worst.

Watch Animal on Netflix. Or not.

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