Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga said that he pre-empted the criticism that his new film, the blockbuster Animal, has received. In an interview, Vanga said that he would discuss what’s coming with actor Ranbir Kapoor, and was sure that the backlash against Animal would be stronger than the one against his previous film, Kabir Singh. The director identified his critics, and said that they should go teach English in China, because beyond their use of the language, he finds little of value in their reviews. In the same breath, he also called them ‘illiterate and uneducated’.
In an interview with Connect FM Canada, Vanga said that he isn’t bothered by the criticism because it’s not being done ‘in the right way’. He said that certain detractors are focusing on one or two points, and not viewing the film in totality. “In a way, I understood their mental status and their IQ… If morality comes into the picture, then you can’t make this film,” he said. Animal has been panned for its depiction of toxic masculinity.
Also read – Animal box office collection day 19: Ranbir Kapoor’s blockbuster to overtake Gadar 2 today, will pass Rs 850 cr before getting dunked by Dunki
Art, he said, is supposed to upset and provoke. “If everybody is going to focus just on the morality, we should stop making films. Let’s just make cartoons,” Vanga said, ignoring the many moral lessons that cartoons are known to provide young children. “They’re saying children are walking out of the theatres in tears, high school girls are feeling unsafe; they should not be watching the film, it’s rated A,” he said, adding that he can feel a personal hatred for him, more than the film.
Vanga said that the pushback has become louder in the years since Kabir Singh, and that he doesn’t mind criticism in general, but takes offense when his intentions are questioned. “It doesn’t matter, because lakhs of people are enjoying my work,” he said, clarifying that the film’s final shot wasn’t designed as a response to the criticism he received for Kabir Singh, as many reviewers interpreted it to be. “It was just attitude,” he said, and implied that critics can be bought. “I never do that,” he bragged.
In a separate interview with Galatta Plus, Vanga said that poor reviews don’t affect his writing, and said that certain critics have a tendency to over-analyse films and extract ‘wrong interpretations’, without the proper context. Animal scored a 28% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. But Vanga can take solace in the film’s box office earnings. After 19 days in theatres, Animal has made Rs 522 crore in India and Rs 843 crore worldwide. It’s biggest A-rated film ever, and the third-biggest Indian film of 2023, behind Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan and Pathaan.
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Sandeep Reddy Vanga lashes out at ‘illiterate and uneducated’ critics for panning Animal, says Ranbir Kapoor expected it – The Indian Express
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