Animal - FTW or WTF (Spoilers ahead)

[ravishingravi]

I cant think of many films that I have seen in my time where I had my jaw dropped through the films. Its a massive cocktail of ambitious, sub standards, over the top, gross, bizarre and the unexpected. I think its beyond the grammar of good or bad film. The director is sending some very strong messages, ideas and some very obvious FU to the critics. Purely in terms of structure, he broke many rules of narrative and structure of films ( most don't work except the brilliant introduction of Bobby Deol ).

 

The film will gross more than 1000 cr. I dont watch Hindi films per se these days. But what I saw of Ranbeer in Animal was nothing sort of extraordinary. Just mind boggling.

 

I still need to digest to what I saw. But it seemed from the film that director was either making a rant piece or satire or shock piece. Either ways, I think RGV did the best job to describe what we see.

 

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by Lord

[coffee_rules]

Definitely not a misunderstood classic. It is a stupid movie trying to be different. There is no way any self-respecting girl will stay with the hero in both his movies so far. 

[I6MTW]

3 hours ago, coffee_rules said:

Definitely not a misunderstood classic. It is a stupid movie trying to be different. There is no way any self-respecting girl will stay with the hero in both his movies so far. 

Exactly! It's just a case of his movies having deeply flawed beings as protagonists, and glorification of said protagonists, with a touch of violence, action, sex, melodrama, etc in the screenplay. 

[rangeelaraja]

Animal was the first Bollywood movie I watched in a theatre after a long time.

 

Probably the worst movie made in the last 25 years. Puke worthy movie. 

 

Needless bloodshed and misogyny glorified.  Needless filthy language throughout the film.

 

-100 / 10 on story.  

 

This "rich " son operates on a fictional planet where cops and law enforcement don't exist. Can do anything in India and even in Europe. 

 

Ruined 3.5 hours of my life watching this utter disgrace of a movie.

[Nikhil_cric]

Most Indian movies are just garbage these days - whether that's Bollywood or South Indian(despite all the hype)

 

Watched "Killers of the Flower Moon" with DiCaprio and DeNiro and am left wondering why we can't make films even of that quality. 

 

 

[ravishingravi]

So I had a chance to see the film again. In first viewing I was literally in state of shock and amazement. Nothing seems conventional.  Few thoughts. 

 

1) Ranbir performance is one of the very best I have seen in a very long period of time. It's such a difficult role of an outlier middle age warrior caught in modern world. He has to be eccentric but not ham. Right out of James Cagney school of acting. Master at his work.  

 

2) film has godfather structure with the most stream of consciousness writing in the head of Alpha male. In french they would call "auteur". It's truly expressionism. 

 

3) Basically the film is a series of skits and ideas which don't really tell a coherent story. But more interestingly director doesn't seem interested in telling the story. He seems more interested in characters. 

 

4). Some ideas that I noted - Directors admiration for nihangs or sardar warrior race as a part of Hindu ethos, natural selection vs convention based coupling, clearing up on Swastika, Atmanitbhar Bharat, man as protector , extra marital affair - pros and cons, multiple marriage customs in Islam, denouncing missionary mad preachers, Fathers and sons, self arming ( esp Hindus ) 

 

5) Film trailer actually just decieved the genre. It's not pasta. It's anti pasta. Whole film is full of genre subversion and indulgence of the director. Director is not interested in story structure. This is about his world view. By and large. It's stream of consciousness writing. 

[EnterTheVoid]

Misogynistic. Violent. But it's made money.

Based off Animal, more movies will come out that will stoop even lower for shock value.

[Gollum]

Dangerous movie for our society. Hated it from start to finish, will judge people who are fans of such sick, gory, misogynistic stuff.

[ravishingravi]

22 minutes ago, Gollum said:

Dangerous movie for our society. Hated it from start to finish, will judge people who are fans of such sick, gory, misogynistic stuff.

 

This is kind of stuff one hears that makes a case for such films. I recall similar stuff said for Pulp fiction or Kill Bill at the time of their release. Society apes movies is the most exaggerated idea that we have bought into.

[coffee_rules]

23 minutes ago, ravishingravi said:

 

This is kind of stuff one hears that makes a case for such films. I recall similar stuff said for Pulp fiction or Kill Bill at the time of their release. Society apes movies is the most exaggerated idea that we have bought into.

This kind of abrasive morals doesn’t gel with our society. As it is teenage smoking and drinking is rampant. Such movies will badly influence youth into justifying bad behavior . One cannot drink alcohol and perform surgery (Kabir)  or slap women to make them agree. Sets a bad precedent. Pulp fiction is a cult classic with a R rating. Can we enforce A rating for this movie in India? 

[ravishingravi]

44 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

This kind of abrasive morals doesn’t gel with our society. As it is teenage smoking and drinking is rampant. Such movies will badly influence youth into justifying bad behavior . One cannot drink alcohol and perform surgery (Kabir)  or slap women to make them agree. Sets a bad precedent. Pulp fiction is a cult classic with a R rating. Can we enforce A rating for this movie in India? 

 

Gone are those days where Indians could be secluded from rest of the world. Indians are largest consumers streaming sites per Capita. Mad consumers at that. This cannot be contained or controlled anymore.

 

There was a time that rape scenes were very common in Indian cinema. It goes away as society evolves. The sex and violence on streaming sites and web series far surpasses anything I saw in the film. It's a lot of blood but no gore. We are the only country to have smoking also censored with a message. 

 

In my view kid gloves won't work. Let a film like this come out. Let it be hammered by critics and then as society we can get somewhere. This country has paid a high price for censorship. 

[coffee_rules]

It could have shown him flouting norms within the system. He was shown he could kill anybody and just be answerable only to his family and not to the j justice department. 
 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by coffee_rules

[coffee_rules]

18 hours ago, ravishingravi said:

 

 

1) Ranbir performance is one of the very best I have seen in a very long period of time. It's such a difficult role of an outlier middle age warrior caught in modern world. He has to be eccentric but not ham. Right out of James Cagney school of acting. Master at his work.  
 

Agreed, he acted well, but the script  about his dad issues were not convincing making his acting ineffective. A lot of times, I yelled out, “abbey problem kya hai teri, bc”. The scriptwriter didn’t do a good job, the father was a regular busy man, the kid was made to look way facking too needy. 
 

 

18 hours ago, ravishingravi said:

 

2) film has godfather structure with the most stream of consciousness writing in the head of Alpha male. In french they would call "auteur". It's truly expressionism. 

 

He became both Sonny and Michael to his father rolled into the same character , the father seems to be running a legit business. AL should have been in some crime business to make the Godfather analogy convincing. Accha khasa business to tabaah kar diya, retribution ke chakkar mein. The business would have suffered with all his investments into guns and weapons. 
 

 

18 hours ago, ravishingravi said:

3) Basically the film is a series of skits and ideas which don't really tell a coherent story. But more interestingly director doesn't seem interested in telling the story. He seems more interested in characters. 
 

Yeah, but characters should come out better in script. They were all mouthing inane words. Mother ka role poora kaat diya. Ladki aasaani se patt gayi, without any qualms. 

18 hours ago, ravishingravi said:

 

4). Some ideas that I noted - Directors admiration for nihangs or sardar warrior race as a part of Hindu ethos, natural selection vs convention based coupling, clearing up on Swastika, Atmanitbhar Bharat, man as protector , extra marital affair - pros and cons, multiple marriage customs in Islam, denouncing missionary mad preachers, Fathers and sons, self arming ( esp Hindus ) 

 

It came too late having to endure 1.5 hrs before intermission. They could have edited out many parts. Also, he goes around employing his cousins, but fights 150 men with axes on his own, baaki sab tamasha dekhke Punjabi gaana gaa rahe the!!

 

 

18 hours ago, ravishingravi said:

 

5) Film trailer actually just decieved the genre. It's not pasta. It's anti pasta. Whole film is full of genre subversion and indulgence of the director. Director is not interested in story structure. This is about his world view. By and large. It's stream of consciousness writing. 

I know you like the directors earlier movie as well. I think he has mom issues. Must have been spanked by his mom or something. He makes his women weak, insubordinate and yes-women. Alia should have acted in Animal and Rashmika in Shiva, I mean that other movie about Shiva. Rashmika seems to be compensated immensely  for a “bold” role, but she agreed to not act in it. Dubbing was super bad. Audience will go scratching their head thinking what was this girl saying!!

[ravishingravi]

5 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

Agreed, he acted well, but the script  about his dad issues were not convincing making his acting ineffective. A lot of times, I yelled out, “abbey problem kya hai teri, bc”. The scriptwriter didn’t do a good job, the father was a regular busy man, the kid was made to look way facking too needy. 

 

I think the trailer again deceived people into thinking that this father son story only. I think from the very beginning one could see Ranvir was a character out of his time or era. Bit like Patton always reminiscing of wars, battles and warrior spirit. He couldn't function in normal world and family / father was trigger to bring out that animalistic side of him. I yelled out too many times, but then I sat back because I understood that director isn't going where I thought he is.

 

9 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

 

He became both Sonny and Michael to his father rolled into the same character , the father seems to be running a legit business. AL should have been in some crime business to make the Godfather analogy convincing. Accha khasa business to tabaah kar diya, retribution ke chakkar mein. The business would have suffered with all his investments into guns and weapons. 

 

Yeah thats fair. This Godfather with Sonny taking charge.

 

10 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

 

It came too late having to endure 1.5 hrs before intermission. They could have edited out many parts. Also, he goes around employing his cousins, but fights 150 men with axes on his own, baaki sab tamasha dekhke Punjabi gaana gaa rahe the!!

 

 

Exactly. But I think it was so purposeful that writer / director / editor wanted to do it this way. Hence I say he abandons all standard knowledge of the craft 

 

12 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

 

I know you like the directors earlier movie as well. I think he has mom issues. Must have been spanked by his mom or something. He makes his women weak, insubordinate and yes-women. Alia should have acted in Animal and Rashmika in Shiva, I mean that other movie about Shiva. Rashmika seems to be compensated immensely  for a “bold” role, but she agreed to not act in it. Dubbing was super bad. Audience will go scratching their head thinking what was this girl saying!!

 

I like this quote by Adrian Lyne. Films should aspire to be beyond good or bad. They should make people fight over it. Many films in the history of cinema have been made to shock the audience and not necessarily in pleasant way. I dont like Sandeep's movies but I find it refreshing that atleast it is authentic. Thats his world view and I am happy to disagree but its refreshing that someone is willing to put himsef at out there inspite of the cost and risk involved. 

[vayuu1]

On 12/15/2023 at 1:49 PM, Gollum said:

Dangerous movie for our society. Hated it from start to finish, will judge people who are fans of such sick, gory, misogynistic stuff.

Bhai jab 9 songs ,love,jaisi movie se khatra nahi hua to animal se kya hi hoga 

[cowboysfan]

I couldnt even finish watching the trailer.

[coffee_rules]

49 minutes ago, cowboysfan said:

I couldnt even finish watching the trailer.

Crossed 100 cr collection .

[cowboysfan]

23 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

Crossed 100 cr collection .

I am better off watching Indian politicians being a dick on TV,no need to to a theatre and watch Ranbir.

[ravishingravi]

2 hours ago, coffee_rules said:

Crossed 100 cr collection .

 

1000 cr

[Autonomous]

RK did a good job and his chemistry with Rashmika in Hua Main and first half of the movie is superb.