Prominent screenwriter Javed Akhtar, renowned for his collaborations with Salim Khan on iconic films like "Zanjeer," "Deewar," and "Mr. India," recently expressed concerns about the commercial success of movies featuring controversial scenes. Though he didn't specifically mention "Animal," he cited an example of the film's contentious bootlicking scene, involving Ranbir and Triptii Dimri as Ranvijay and Zoya.
In response, the "Animal" team tagged Akhtar on X and conveyed that a writer of his caliber might not understand the intricacies of a lover's betrayal, referencing the characters Zoya and Ranvijay. They emphasized the need to let love transcend gender politics.
"Animal," directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, stirred controversy in 2023 due to its graphic content, extreme violence, and treatment of female characters. Despite criticism, it became one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of the year, earning ₹900 crore globally.
The "Animal" team's X post argued that if the roles were reversed, and a woman had instructed a man to lick her shoe, it would have been celebrated as a feminist moment. They emphasized calling the characters lovers and highlighted the betrayal and deception in the storyline.
Javed Akhtar, speaking at the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival in Aurangabad, expressed concerns about the impact of certain scenes on society, especially if they become superhits. He mentioned scenes where a man asks a woman to lick his shoe or justifies slapping a woman, emphasizing the potential danger of such content gaining immense popularity.
(With Agency Inputs)
