Swanand Kirkire says his problem with Ranbir Kapoor's Animal is its 'overwhelming acceptance': 'Sandeep Reddy Vanga might get angry at me again but...'

Headlined by Ranbir Kapoor, the 2023 crime drama Animal is one of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters as it earned over Rs 550 crore net in India and grossed over Rs 900 crore at the global box office. The Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial, which also starred Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, and Triptii Dimri, was also criticised for its excessive violence and glorification of toxic masculinity. Several celebrities spoke against the film and now, Swanand Kirkire has lashed out against Animal. The lyricist-playback singer-actor said that his problem with the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer is not with the film being made, but how it was widely accepted by the audience. He also slammed Sandeep Reddy Vanga for glorifying the most toxic form of masculinity in the film.

In an interview with The Lallantop, Swanand Kirkire said, "From Mehboob Khan’s Aurat, Guru Dutt’s Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam to Vikas Bahl’s Queen and Shoojit Sircar’s Piku, these films taught us how to look at women with empathy and respect. They offered a progressive lens. Hindi cinema was helping men like me, coming from places like Indore, understand what gender equality truly means. Even in Anurag Kashyap’s Dev.D, women were shown as independent beings. And then, someone makes Animal, and we accept it. My issue isn’t with the film being made, it’s with the overwhelming acceptance it received."

He further recalled how he was disturbed by the reaction of a girl who he had met after watching Animal as he added, "I remember the day I saw the film, I met a girl who had seen it twice. She said, 'Bobby Deol is so hot.' What disturbed me was how Sandeep Reddy Vanga rejected all forms of positive masculinity and instead glorified its most toxic form."

Being a poet himself, Kirkire also took offence to a dialogue in the film when Ranbir's character Rannvijay Singh says to Rashmika's character Geetanjali that insecure men who couldn't become alpha males turned into poets. The Three Of Us actor added, "I don’t even mind if that’s a perspective. But the film claims that those who couldn’t be alpha males became poets, as if poetry is the last resort of insecure men. And yet, the same film uses poetry and lyrics to turn Rannvijay into an alpha male. In the Arjan Vailly song where he’s slaughtering hundreds, it’s not the visuals but the poetry and music that create the thrill. You dismiss poetry in one dialogue but can’t do away with it in your music. After this, Sandeep Reddy Vanga might get angry at me again, but that’s okay."

A day after Animal had released on December 1, Swanand had shared a long note on his X (formerly called Twitter) criticising Animal and had said that "the glorious history of Indian cinema is being embarrassed" through the Ranbir Kapoor film. The official X account of the film had attacked the lyricist for his remarks.

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