Image was shared on Instagram. (Image courtesy: RKFilmography)
Remember when Anurag Kashyap shared an Instagram post and called Sandeep Reddy Vanga the “most misunderstood, judged, and reviled” director? Well, the filmmaker has once again spoken in support of his contemporary. In an interview with Janice Sequeira, Anurag said that Sandeep's Animal received criticism because the film's lead, Ranbir Kapoor, played his role with conviction. He expressed, “Why did the film become difficult? Because everybody's favourite (Ranbir Kapoor) played the role and he did it with all his conviction rather than being politically correct or diplomatically correct, or correct for a section of things. He went all out to play a person that was problematic all the way.” For those unfamiliar, a segment of people criticised Animal for the violence and labelled the film as "misogynistic."
Anurag Kashyap also spoke about his connection with Sandeep Reddy Vanga, sharing how he too has been "cancelled" like him. He added, "I am coming from a place where I have been cancelled a lot. I was cancelled for Dev D, Paanch, Black Friday, Gangs Of Wasseypur. It is very easy for people to cancel someone but if you have a problem with someone, talk to them instead of attacking them. Instead of accusing, ask questions. So I met him and shared the (social media) post. He is an honest person.” In case you missed it, below is the post, Anurag talked about:
During the same conversation, Anurag Kashyap also praised Sandeep Reddy Vanga, saying, “What I liked most about Animal was that a stubborn filmmaker went ahead and made an adult film of 3 hours and 25 minutes. He fought and got it released in cinemas. It takes me straight back to Bombay Velvet. It was almost 3 hours long and I couldn't fight for it, I was on the back foot. I had to cut it and raid it myself. I learnt that being ziddi (stubborn) sometimes as a filmmaker is not a bad thing. If you see the nuances there can be a lot of things, it doesn't necessarily mean that everything about Animal, I endorse or condone. No. If I have issues I'll discuss it with the filmmaker.”
Released in December last year, Animal also featured Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, and Triptii Dimri in pivotal roles.