Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, which hit the big screens in December, was the second-highest grossing Hindi flick of 2023. Nonetheless, the film met with polarising reviews that divided the viewers.
While Animal faced widespread criticism for its misogynistic theme from a certain section of the audience, others found the film audacious.
Recently, veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar indirectly criticised the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer for being "dangerous."
During the 9th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Akhtar said, "If there’s a film in which a man asks a woman to lick his shoe or if a man says it’s okay to slap a woman… and the film is a super hit, that’s dangerous.”
Animal has a similar scene that features Ranbir Kapoor's and Triptii Dimri's characters.
In response to Akhtar's criticism, the official handle of Animal film's team took to X and wrote, "Writer of your calibre cannot understand the betrayal of a lover (Between Zoya & Ranvijay) then all your art form is big FALSE & If a woman (betrayed and fooled by a man in the name of love) would have said "lick my shoe" then you guys would have celebrated it by calling it feminism. Let love be free from the politics of gender. Let's just call them lovers. LOVER cheated and lied. LOVER said lick my shoe. Period @Javedakhtarjadu."
Have a look at the tweet here:
However, netizens are up in arms about the criticism the veteran writer-lyricist received. The screenwriter is after all a Padma Shri recipient who has also penned some of the most popular films in cinema history. From Sholay to Deewaar - his films have had a reverberating impact on Hindi cinema.
Moreover, songs like "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha" from 1942: A Love Story, "Khwabon Ke Parindey" from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and "Sandese Aate Hai" from Border not only brought him immense success but also the industry.
Therefore, some social media users are attempting to drive the point home by schooling the Animal team, emphasizing that the screenwriter is one of the best in the business and his filmography is too rich for them to point fingers at.
One of the users wrote, "Javed Akhtar, the Javed of “Salim - Javed”, who wrote classics like Zanjeer, Trishul, Deewaar and Sholay, is being told that his art form was a BIG FALSE because he criticized a misogynistic film. LMAO. Indirectly, they just proved that Javed Akhtar is right."
Have a look:
Another user added a video of Hrithik Roshan-starrer Lakshya for which Javed Akhtar penned the screenplay.
Have a look at some other reactions here:
Animal also starred Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol and Anil Kapoor in pivotal roles.
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