Sandeep Reddy Vanga reveals why he chopped off Bobby Deol's backstory in Animal

Animal has emerged as one of the biggest hits of Bollywood in 2023. And Ranbir Kapoor was not the only beneficiary of the massive commercial success of the film. Actor Bobby Deol, who is making heads turn by embracing negative roles with a lot of flair in the second innings of his film career, also added to his growing clout among the masses by playing the ruthless villain Abrar Haque. 

However, for most of the narration, Bobby remains a threatening menace lurking in the shadows and relentlessly pursuing Anil Kapoor's Balbir Singh without revealing his identity or whereabouts. It's only in the second half of the film that we are introduced to Bobby's Abrar, a character who oscillates between warmth, dance, and smiles and spiralling out of control, engaging in violent acts at his own wedding.

While Bobby's screen presence was a big hit with the fans, many complained that they didn't get enough of him in the film. Despite being cast as the main antagonist, his role felt more like an extended cameo. Even Bobby had qualms about the length of his character in the movie. 

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In the meantime, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga has revealed that he had shot a backstory for Bobby's character but it was edited out in the post-production process.  

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"Bobby sir has a similar backstory. I shot also. But, the CG was delayed and it was not fitting with the music somehow. Even when Ranbir is hitting Bobby, there is a glimpse of a 13-year-old guy running towards the grandfather and grandfather in fire, he's shocked and that's where he loses his voice and all. I thought I would show the flash cut to both. Because he also has equal reasons to kill Balbir. But, somehow (the flash cut) was not sitting in the music and pattern. I thought I would not use it during the editing," Sandeep told Galatta Plus.

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It remains uncertain whether Sandeep will include the edited scenes in the extended version of Animal, slated for release on streaming platforms.