Animal (2023 Film)

''Animal'' is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed and edited by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Pranay Reddy Vanga and Saurabh Gupta. The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Pranay Reddy Vanga, Krishan Kumar and Murad Khetani under T-Series Films, Bhadrakali Pictures and Cine1 Studios. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Triptii Dimri. In the film, Ranvijay Singh, a violent young man, learns about an assassination attempt on his father and sets out to exact revenge.

The film was officially announced in January 2021, along with the title of the film. Principal photography commenced in April 2022 and wrapped by April 2023. The film has music composed by JAM8, Vishal Mishra, Jaani, Manan Bhardwaj, Shreyas Puranik, Ashim Kemson and Harshwardhan Rameshwar. The cinematography was handled by Amit Roy and editing by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. With a runtime of 201 minutes, the film was one of the longest Indian films ever made.

''Animal'' was initially set for 11 August 2023 release but was postponed due to post-production work. It was theatrically released on 1 December 2023 in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages in standard and IMAX formats. The film received generally mixed reviews from the critics. It broke several box office records for a Hindi film, including the highest non-holiday opening, biggest single days, highest opening weekend and highest opening week in India. At the overseas box-office, it broke several records and eventually emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film in Australia and Canada. ''Animal'' grossed worldwide and emerged as a major commercial success becoming the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, the fifth-highest-grossing Hindi film, the eighth highest-grossing Indian film, and the highest-grossing A-rated Indian film of all time. It also became the highest-grossing film of Kapoor's career, surpassing '' Sanju'' (2018). At the 69th Filmfare Awards, the film received 19 nominations, including Best Film and Best Director.

Plot

In Delhi, Ranvijay "Vijay" Singh's love for his wealthy tycoon father Balbir Singh is exceptional though the latter's schedule keeps him from spending time with his family; Balbir heads ''Swastik Steels'', a major steel company. He ousts Vijay to a boarding school in the USA when Vijay threatens his sister Reet's bullies with an AK-47. Vijay finishes his education and returns home after years. He gets into an argument with Reet's husband Varun, prompting Balbir to expel him once again from the household. Vijay marries his childhood love Geetanjali, and the couple cuts off their families and moves to the USA.

Eight years later, Vijay, Geetanjali and their two kids fly back to India when Balbir is shot by assassins. Upon reconciling with his family, Vijay takes it upon himself to uncover the assassin's identity; he rounds up his cousins from the village for backup and recruits a body double for his father, who is eventually killed by Asrar Haque, the assassin. Vijay discovers Varun's role behind the assassination attempt and murders him publicly at a conference where Asrar is also present. Later, Vijay meets an arms dealer at a hotel, where hundreds of assailants, headed by Asrar, attack. Vijay takes them all down and kills Asrar but is severely wounded in the process and becomes comatose. He recovers in two weeks but undergoes a heart transplantation for his failing heart.

Vijay recuperates after several months and is approached by Zoya, the fiancee of his heart donor. Vijay starts an affair with Zoya. Zoya reveals that she was actually sent by Asrar's brother Abrar Haque to honey trap him. Vijay, however, had always known this and acted along to learn the mastermind's identity. He lets Zoya go and learns from his grandfather Rajdheer Singh that Abrar and his brothers are Vijay's second cousins; they are Rajdheer's younger brother Shamsher's grandchildren. Rajdheer had renounced Shamsher for his immoral antics; years later, Shamsher's son, Azim, who had converted to Islam, was denied any share in Balbir's assets, prompting Shamsher to commit suicide. Abrar, who had witnessed his grandfather's suicide, became mute from the trauma. Abrar has relocated to Scotland and has been the one plotting against Balbir to seek vengeance for his family.

Vijay and his cousins travel to Scotland and stop Abrar as he is about to escape the country in a private jet with his other brother Abid. A violent duel ensues on the runway, ending in Vijay killing Abrar. Back home during Diwali, Balbir reveals his terminal illness to Vijay and realizes that his lack of love to his son has always been the root cause of Vijay's aggression. He apologizes to him and the two reconcile, causing Vijay to break down.

In a post-credits scene, Aziz, the youngest of the Haque brothers, and an infamous assassin in Istanbul, undergoes plastic surgery to resemble Vijay. Zoya is with him, revealed to be pregnant, though unsure whether the child is Aziz' or Vijay's. Aziz sets out with Abid to exact retaliation for the deaths of his two brothers.

Cast

Production

Development

In September 2019, it was reported that Sandeep Reddy Vanga would turn into a producer for his next directional venture in Bollywood. It was further reported that he would produce the venture along with Murad Khetani, Ashwin Varde, Bhushan Kumar and Kishan Kumar under Cine1 Studios and T-Series. On 10 October, the company's and Vanga's new production banner Bhadrakali Pictures announced their collaboration for Vanga's next directional; marking their second collaboration after '' Kabir Singh'' (2019). In early December, Vanga was reported to have approached Ranbir Kapoor to play the lead role in the film. ''ETimes'' reported that Kapoor was "keen" to work on the film, however, would finalize it only after hearing the final script, which was still progressing writing.

In June 2020 however, it was reported that Vanga met Kapoor in January and narrated another script, which was reportedly titled ''Devil''. In late December, Anil Kapoor was reported to be part of the cast. On 1 January 2021, the company's made an official public announcement of the venture, revealing also the title of the film and the crew. In late April, Bobby Deol and Parineeti Chopra were cast, with the former playing lead antagonist role, while the latter plays lead actress role.

In March 2022, Rashmika Mandanna was reported to dance in an item number for the film. The same month, it was reported that Chopra had replaced by Mandanna,as the director was not satisfied with the casting of chopra. On 2 April, Mandanna's commitments were officially announced. Mandanna called it "a dream come true."

Filming

Principal photography began in Manali in April 2022. The second schedule was in Mumbai in May 2022 and filming was held at Pataudi Palace in July 2022. The next schedules were held in Delhi and Punjab. The filming was wrapped up in mid-March 2023. The film resumed in England and Scotland beginning in April with a schedule of 15–20 days.

Music

The film score is composed by Harshavardhan Rameshwar, who scored Reddy's previous films ''Arjun Reddy'' and its Hindi remake '' Kabir Singh''. The songs featured in the film are composed by JAM8, Vishal Mishra, Jaani, Manan Bhardwaj, Shreyas Puranik, Ashim Kemson, Harshwardhan Rameshwar, Bhupinder Babbal and A. R. Rahman. Lyrics were written by Manoj Muntashir, Raj Shekhar, Siddharth-Garima, Jaani, Manan Bhardwaj, Ashim Kemson and Bhupinder Babbal.

The album features eight tracks with four singles—"Hua Main", "Satranga", "Papa Meri Jaan" and "Arjan Vailly"—were released before the audio launch. The soundtrack to ''Animal'' was released at a music launch and fan experience event held on 24 November 2023 at Mehboob Studio in Mumbai.

Marketing

The teaser was released on Kapoor's Birthday 28 September 2023. Arijit Singh held a concert in Chandigarh where Ranbir Kapoor joined him to promote film with the song ''Satranga'' on 4 November 2023. During the semi-final of 2023 Cricket World Cup, Ranbir Kapoor attended the stadium to watch the match and for promotional activities of the film on 15 November 2023. The teaser was showcased on Burj Khalifa on 18 November 2023, they also conducted film promotions at ''Marq Club'' and ''Dubai's Global Village'' on the same day in Dubai. The trailer was released on 23 November 2023. The cast appeared on the ''Unstoppable talk show'', which premiered on Aha on 24 November 2023. They also appeared on '' Indian Idol''. Before the pre-release event they conducted press conference tours in Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru. The film held its pre-release event in Hyderabad on 27 November 2023 with Mahesh Babu and S. S. Rajamouli as the chief guests.

Release

Theatrical

''Animal'' was initially set for an 11 August 2023 release, but was postponed due to post-production and dubbing work. It was theatrically released on 1 December 2023 in standard and IMAX formats in Hindi with dubbed versions in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages. The film was released across 4000 screens in India, the screen count was impacted due to the clash with '' Sam Bahadur'' which was releasing on the same day.

The film had planned to premiere in North America on 30 November 2023, a day before its release. In the United States, it will be screened in 888 theaters, marking the highest number for a Hindi film, surpassing the screen count of '' Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva'' (2022) and '' Jawan'' (2023).

''Animal'' received an A (adults only) certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification, a day prior to its trailer release, for strong bloody violence, profanity and some sexuality. It has been classified 18 by the British Board of Film Classification for the same reason.

Distribution

'' AA Films'' acquired the theatrical rights of the film to distribute in North India and overseas. ''Sri Venkateswara Creations'' acquired the distribution rights for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. ''E4 Entertainment'' and ''AP International'' acquired distribution rights for Tamil Nadu and Kerala. ''KVN Productions'' acquired distribution rights for Karnataka. ''Moksha Movies'' and ''Nirvana Cinemas'' acquired theatrical distribution rights for North America.

Home Media

The digital streaming rights of ''Animal'' were acquired by Netflix. The film is expected to begin streaming on 26 January, 2024 coinciding with Republic Day. As per Vanga, it is slated to have an additional 8 minutes of footage..

Reception

Box office

''Animal'' broke several box-office records for a Hindi film. The film had the fourth-biggest advance booking in Hindi cinema, and the third-highest for 2023 after '' Jawan'' and '' Pathaan''. On its opening day, the film collected a total India net of second highest after '' Jawan'', worldwide gross of including overseas gross of US$5.5 million (₹46 crore). Eventually it became the highest non-holiday opening of all time for a Hindi film breaking the previous record held by Ranbir Kapoor's '' Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva''. On its second day, netted over ₹67 crore and over ₹70 crore on third day in India for a three days total net collection of ₹201 crore and became one of the fastest Hindi film to achieve this after '' Jawan'', making it third top opening weekend for Hindi films. Worldwide it earned over for three consecutive days during its opening weekend, for a total worldwide weekend gross collection of ₹356 crore (US$42.1 million). It had one of the highest Hindi net collection on its first Monday and Tuesday. In the first week it earned a total worldwide gross collection of . On its 8th day, the film surpassed the lifetime worldwide collection of '' Sanju'' (2018) and becomes the highest-grossing film of Kapoor's career. On its 17th day, the film reached ₹500 crore net collection across all languages in India and on the same day the film crosses 3 crore footfalls in India. On its 35th day, the film reached ₹500 crore net in Hindi and ₹550 crore across all languages in India, eventually it became the second-highest net grossing Hindi film in India. Box Office India declared the film an "All Time Blockbuster".

In the United States, the film was released alongside '' Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé'', '' Silent Night'', '' Godzilla Minus One'', and '' The Shift'', and made $6.1 million from 888 theatres in its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place, behind the second weekend totals of '' Wish'' and ''Napoleon''. Worldwide, it emerged as the No. 1 film on its opening weekend with the total of $42.1 million including the $13.88 million of international markets, surpassing all the films globally. In its first week the film earned over $19.2 million from international markets.

, the film has grossed over in India and in overseas for a worldwide gross collection of .

Critical response

Awarding the film 4.5/5 stars, '' Bollywood Hungama'' praised "Ranbir Kapoor’s outstanding performance, clap-worthy massy scenes, and interval block." Sukanya Verma of '' Rediff'' gave 4/5 stars and wrote "''Animal'' is relentless as a euphoric medley of feral rage and dance of the dysfunctional. The twists go on well until end credits as more blood is splattered our way." Ganesh Aaglave of '' Firstpost'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "''Animal'' is an adrenaline experience which will have polarising views but you can't deny its entertaining quotient, breathtaking performances and storytelling." Puja Awasthi of '' The Week'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "''Animal'' for all its blood and gore, is the story of a son’s aching desire for his father’s approval. Why even its ballads are less romance, more revenge. And its female characters for all their luminosity, are just props".

Monika Rawal Kukreja of '' Hindustan Times'' found it "an absolute massy, entertaining and extremely violent thriller which doesn't believe in conforming to the norms", while adding that the extreme violence might be off-putting for some. Titas Chowdhury of ''News18'' gave 3.5/5 stars, labelled it "dark, loud and garish but also unapologetic", and thought that Ranbir Kapoor "breathes life into this undesirable character with a lot of charisma and swag". Abhimanyu Mathur of ''DNA India'' rated the film 3.5/5 and opined, "''Animal'' takes everything that was problematic and increases it several notches. It is downright the most violent Hindi film I have seen, and also one of the most inherently toxic and misogynist. The amazing part is that it is still very well made and entertaining, enhanced further by yet another great performance from Kapoor".

Conversely, Renuka Vyavahare of '' The Times of India'' gave 2.5/5 stars and termed the film "all swag and no substance derailed family drama"; she was critical of "Vanga's take on women or violence" but praised Ranbir's "raw sex appeal and unmatched intensity". '' India Today''s Anvita Singh gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Ranbir Kapoor is stellar in problematic, paper-thin film." Nandini Ramnath of '' Scroll.in'' wrote "Ranbir is on fire, inhabiting to a frightening degree Vijay's delusional personal war. Reptile-eyed even at his smouldering best, Kapoor's career-best performance makes ''Animal'' tough to stomach, but equally difficult to ignore".

In a negative review, Shubhra Gupta of '' The Indian Express'' expressed disappointment that the performances of Ranbir and Anil Kapoor had been "wasted in this pointless, vile tale". Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "The sickeningly violent father-son action drama rarely pauses for breath." Sowmya Rajendran of '' The News Minute'' gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Sandeep Reddy Vanga's film has the kind of writing you'll find in BDSM erotica like '' Fifty Shades of Grey'', but presented with the same earnestness of 'pure love' that we saw in ''Arjun Reddy''." Phuong Le of '' The Guardian'' gave 1/5 stars and wrote "Animal sinks even further into regressive depths, resulting in one of the vilest protagonists to have graced the big screen."

Accolades

Sequel

The film's post-credits scene teases a sequel titled ''Animal Park,'' which was confirmed in December 2023 by director Sandeep Reddy Vanga. Shortly after the film's release, Vanga said the sequel would be "darker" and "meaner" than its predecessor.

References

External links

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{{Portal bar, India, Film, Bollywood

2023 action drama films
2023 action thriller films
2023 films
Indian multilingual films
Films about father–son relationships
Hindi-language action drama films
2023 crime action films
Indian action drama films
Indian action thriller films
Indian crime action films
Indian gangster films
Indian neo-noir films
2023 crime thriller films
Indian crime thriller films
Indian IMAX films
Films shot in Manali, Himachal Pradesh
Films set in Delhi
Indian films about revenge
Films about dysfunctional families
Indian nonlinear narrative films
Films about alcoholism
Films shot in Scotland
Films shot in the United Kingdom
Films directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga