PremiumKaran Johar praises Ranbir Kapoor's Animal despite controversies - 'I didn’t go deep into the moral...'
Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Animal was criticized for its violence, misogynistic narrative, and triggering scenes.
Last Updated: 10.44 AM, Mar 12, 2024
Sandeep Reddy Vanga-directed film Animal created quite a stir on social media as the film was criticized for its triggering scenes, misogynistic narrative as well as violence. However, the film starring Ranbir Kapoor as the lead was also a blockbuster at the box office. Now, filmmaker Karan Johar voiced his opinions about the film and said that he 'didn't go deep into the moral communication of the film'.
Karan Johar on Animal
Animal, which also starred Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol, and Triptii Dimri was one of the biggest hits of 2023. After its release, the film became a hot topic of discussion. While a huge part of the audience praised the film and liked every bit of it, there was a part of the audience that labeled the film as 'toxic'. When KJo spoke about the film recently at the Forbes India Leadership Awards 2024, he said, "There’s been a lot of debate on Animal. People have expressed opinions, stood for it or against it – the filmmaker himself has been very vocal about his feelings."
"Personally, truly honestly, I saw it as a character film based on a character who was deeply dysfunctional, inherently violent, who had many emotional issues – and I loved the treatment," he further added.
The filmmaker also added that he was impressed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga's technical flair and storytelling that he didn't go "deep" into the film's "moral communication." He said he has to be open about it if he loves the film, even if doing so puts him at risk of being criticized. He said, "I didn’t go deep into the moral communication of the film – I was so swept by the narrative and the way the filmmaker told the story of it through sound design, screenplay, dialogue, character development, that as a filmmaker, I loved it."
However, Karan also pointed out that if being honest about his opinions brings him criticism then he needs to accept it with open arms. "There are people who have called me and expressed their opinions – and agreed or disagreed with me. I have to be honest about my emotion attached to a film I’ve seen, and if it comes with criticism or flak, then I have to accept it with open arms. And if it comes with an embrace, I have to accept that as well," he added.
Karan Johar's statement about Animal comes after months its release. There have been massive discussions about the film on various social media platforms. Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the film's director was also seen defending his film in various interviews, which brought him more criticism. However, it is to be noted that even after getting all the negative feedback, the film grossed over Rs 900 crore at the box office and was termed a box office winner.