Rashmika Mandanna, who features in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's upcoming film Animal, during the film's trailer launch, interacted with the media, where she said that she didn't find Sandeep Reddy Vanga's previous projects Kabir Singh and Arjun Reddy to be violent. News agency ANI quoted Rashmika Mandanna as saying, "When I watched Kabir Singh or Arjun Reddy, I didn't think they were violent films. They were high in intensity. The same is with Animal, where you see a little bit of violence. The film is also high in emotions. Sandeep, as a director, is an unapologetic real. People sugarcoat things for the screen, he doesn't do that," she said.
Speaking of filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Rashmika said, "It's so amazing because nobody else does that in cinema. He is a very smart director. Why the so much anticipation for the film is only because we are living people's lives which is so real to the core and we are nothing to lie about those characters."
Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 2017 film Arjun Reddy was flagged for its toxic and misogynistic view of romance after its release. A scene from the film featured the central character (Vijay Deverakonda) slapping his love interest (played by Shalini Pandey). The scene received major flak for its problematic depiction of romance. Later, the same scene was recreated in Mr Reddy's 2019 Hindi remake of the film titled Kabir Singh, featuring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani.
Previously, Rashmika's Animal co-star Ranbir Kapoor also trended for his controversial take on the films. In an interview with Variety recently, Ranbir Kapoor said that he found the films "incredibly powerful and impactful." Ranbir Kapoor told Variety, "As for watching Arjun Reddy or Kabir Singh, I must admit that I did watch both films and found them to be incredibly powerful and impactful. However, my decision to accept Animal was not solely based on those films. It was more about the script, the character, and the opportunity to work with Sandeep Reddy Vanga. I believe Animal will offer a different experience altogether, and I'm excited to explore this new dimension in my acting journey."
