Cinema has the power to spark a conversation, says actor Ranbir Kapoor, who credits his latest film Animal for starting a "healthy" discussion around toxic masculinity.
Animal, which hit the screens on December 1, was one of the highest earning Hindi films of 2023 despite being criticised for its poor portrayal of women, misogyny and graphic violence.
Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the action drama had its digital premiere on Netflix last week. The film also stars Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Triptii Dimri.
In a video shared on Netflix India's YouTube page on Sunday, Ranbir said: "There is a very healthy conversation that has started about toxic masculinity, which is a great thing because cinema, at least, it starts a conversation. If something is wrong, if you don't show that it is wrong, and unless conversation starts in the society, we will never realise it." Actors need to be "empathetic" towards the characters they play, he added.
"But as an audience, you decide what's wrong. You can make a film on the wrong person and it should be made. Because if you don't make a film on them, society will never improve," the actor said.
In "Animal", Ranbir played Ranvijay, a violent man who sets out to avenge an assassination attempt on his estranged father (Anil Kapoor). Deol played the antagonist Abrar Haque, a menacing mute gangster.
"And the characters got what they deserved. He got what he deserved, in the end, I got what I deserved," Ranbir said about the characters Ranvijay and Abrar.
Backing his co-star, Deol said storytelling is the reflection of society.
"It's showing you what is happening in the society and there are so many things we don't want to talk about. But we are actors and we're just getting an opportunity to play different characters. That's the fun of being an actor," he added.
Ranbir also gave an update on "Animal Park", the sequel of "Animal".
"Sandeep has a couple of scenes ready and he has narrated them to me. It is very exciting. Because of the success of part one, he has the courage and confidence to go even darker, deeper and complex," he said.