Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal has been a hot topic of discussion ever since it was released in theatres on December 1. While it emerged to be a blockbuster success at the box office, many also criticised the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer for promoting misogyny and celebrating toxic masculinity. The official X page of the film even hit back Swanand Kirkire’s reaction to Animal. Now, in a new interview with Siddharth Kannan, Sandeep Reddy Vanga has admitted that the tweet was ‘not needed’ as it went overboard. (Also read: Did Animal team take a dig at Swanand Kirkire for criticising the film? Fans think Vanga himself is behind it)
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s reaction
Speaking to Siddharth, when Sandeep was asked about the responses from the official X account of the film and whether he wrote it, the director said no and added, “Swanand Kirkire ke liye ek tweet gaya tha which is not needed. The boys were very energetic in sending messages. Unke liye I feel sorry for Swanand Kirkire… thoda zyada hi bol diya tha. But I felt it’s one on a funny side [so it is] okay. It is a very funny message but ye main janta hu ki hamare team ke kuch logon ne likha hein (The tweet was a little extra. I knew that it was written by some members from our team).”
“Because they felt.. people who worked with me felt very bad for Kabir Singh. Because our team never faced anything for Arjun Reddy. Nothing. Only praises. Same film we did in Hindi, samajh main aya nahi kisiko par aisa kaise ho gaya? Then I kept quiet, and I gave one interview… jaha bol diya ki violence next film mein jyada hoga. Main chahte hue nahi bola woh (I don’t understand the different reactions… I said there will be more violence, and I did not mean it),” he said.
Sandeep added that the criticism was intense for Animal after its release, like an initiative. He also said that the Twitter handle was formed for publicity and somehow it converted into these responses. Sandeep said that he only has his own Twitter account and a lot of people might think that those are his words but that’s not the case.
What the Animal social media team had said
Swanand Kirkire had criticized the hyper masculinity in Animal and the official account had written back, “Do not let your knees fall ahead of your toes or cave in towards each other. Keep feet shoulder-width apart to maintain a good base of support for balance. Land softly on the balls of the feet to help absorb the force of the landing. Yes…. now it landed perfectly (flying kiss emoticon) @swanandkirkire”
Animal stars Ranbir Kapoor alongside Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna, Triptii Dimri, Suresh Oberoi, Shakti Kapoor, and Prem Chopra. The film released on Netflix on January 26.