Image instagrammed by Rashmika. (courtesy: RashmikaMandanna)
Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal swept the Filmfare Awards 2024. The film clinched five trophies, including Best Actor to Best Background Score and Best Sound Design. Surprisingly, Animal's female lead, Rashmika Mandanna, didn't even secure a nomination. In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Sandeep Reddy Vanga expressed his astonishment at Rashmika's absence from the Best Actress nominations. Reflecting on her performance in the film, Sandeep remarked, “It is not an easy performance, what I believed. She was giggling, laughing. She is going mad. She is going crazy. That was not easy. It is an 11 minute scene . She was holding the scene.”
Sandeep Reddy Vanga also revealed that he doesn't “believe in awards”. The director added that he attended Filmfare mainly to support the cast and crew. In his own words, “Genuinely, I don't believe in awards and all. But I went because 19 nominations hai and the entire team was there. So why should there be an absentee director there?”
It's not the first time Sandeep Reddy Vanga has come to Rashmika Mandanna's defence. Prior to Animal's release, a scene from the trailer showed Rashmika clenching her teeth while delivering dialogue, which many found incomprehensible. Addressing the issue, Sandeep told India Today, “She was supposed to speak in a particular way because it's a very emotional scene. I knew there would be a certain reaction to it. When someone is feeling a certain emotion, then they speak with their teeth clenched. I think keeping it in the trailer has only given it multiple views. When you see it as part of the larger scene in the movie, it will make more sense.”
Released in December last year, Animal featured Ranbir Kapoor in lead. Anil Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, Bobby Deol, and Shakti Kapoor were also part of the film.