The film directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, of ‘Arjun Reddy’ and ‘Kabir Singh’ fame, had the audience waiting with bated breath for several reasons. Firstly, Ranbir in a never seen before avatar, his chemistry with South sensation Rashmika Mandanna with whom he is paired for the first time, for the next level of action and violence Vanga has in store after his previous much debated films. Last but not the least, Bobby Deol in his savage baddie avatar. Interestingly, the film releases on the same day as Vicky Kaushal starrer ‘Sam Bahadur’ and it’s being closely watched which film will rule the box office game.
Ranvijay (Ranbir Kapoor) adores his father Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor). He wants to be like him and always keeps doing things that will win him his father’s love, attention and praise. Despite all his efforts, he fails to get his father to notice him. His mother is by his side all this while and also ensures that the father knows what emotions his son has been going through. But to no avail. Ranvijay’s possessiveness for his father increases as he grows up in a setting where everything is at his beck and call. He doesn’t know the concept of losing or fear. This translates into his obsession for his friend’s sister Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna) who he is determined to get married to, not stepping back despite her being engaged already. However, she is still not quite up there when compared to his father. He still comes first in his life. The story takes an interesting twist when Balbir Singh is shot at. Ranvijay sees this as an opportunity to impress his father once again by finding the enemy and taking the most brutal revenge. Balbir sees what his son has turned into and realises his mistake of not being there for him and pushing him to this point.
Ranbir Kapoor and Bobby Deol have pushed their limits and unleashed their unseen sides in the film making ‘Animal’ a worthy watch. The director Sandeep Reddy Vanga promised gore, violence and lots of action and he delivers on his promise. The film is not for the faint hearted for sure. There are particularly two action scenes that elevate the movie to one of the best actioners in recent time. One comes right before the interval with the powerful song ‘Arjan Vailly’ playing in the background. And the best is reserved for the last, when we see an epic face-off between the two equally menacing beasts, Ranbir and Bobby. The latter impresses and shocks with his performance as this Deol shows the world what a dumdaar actor he is. Ranbir and Rashmika’s chemistry is pleasant. The song ‘Satranga’ stands out and the background score adds beautifully to the whole experience of watching ‘Animal’. Anil Kapoor and Ranbir’s father-son dynamic has moments that will tug at your heartstrings. The story starts slow but picks up pace and the screenplay keeps you hooked throughout.
The movie is a little too long and some scenes appear to drag and seem forced. The character actors like Prem Chopra, Shakti Kapoor, Suresh Oberoi have nothing much to do. Rashmika Mandanna tries really hard to make her effort count, but that’s the whole point, she doesn’t look effortless in her character. Casting another actress wouldn’t have taken much away from the film.
If you are a hard-core action movie fan, ‘Animal’ has enough and more to keep you hooked to the screen. The story is engaging and though, long, the performances and the novelty in Ranbir and Bobby’s characters make it worthwhile. (Agencies)
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