Preamble

Continuing on from the theme that emerged from my preamble to Songbird and Snakes, it seems that I want to venture into films that I have no or limited knowledge of. In the case of Animal, it comes with a crucial backstory. So, the main actor or the main marketing fixture of the film (Bobby Deol) is my cousin (albeit a distant one, fifth or sixth removed if you want to be precise). From mum’s side, my and Bobby’s grannies were cousins, which makes my Mum- Sunny and Bobby’s aunt (I think). Despite having never met my cousins or Dharmendra (my distant uncle), I’ve been a little hesitant about reviewing Bollywood cinema. This does not come from a lack of interest either. I have fond memories of growing up on Bollywood staples such as Sholay and Taal.

And that’s to not even speak about the future of that film industry, which at the moment seems to be favoring Telugu pictures (commercially speaking). From my cursory research, they seem to place more of an emphasis on realistic and gritty stories that underplay the frequent fixture of fantastical and dreamlike musical numbers. Going back further then that, my desire to explore the broader scope of Indian cinema has been piqued via Wes Anderson’s influence of Satyajit Ray and the rhapsodic musings about Guru Dutt from Mark Cousins’s splendid book, “The Story of Film.”

My point with this frankly overlong preamble is to say that this carefully guarded secret has been preventing me from enjoying a full breath of a cinema that’s close to home, and ought to be further looked into. Watch this space. Have you had a chance to catch Animal in its limited release? Let me know in the comments below.

Review

From Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver to Private Pyles in Full Metal Jacket, American Cinema has been fascinated with the downtrodden and anti-heroic protagonist, whose violent actions stem from a deep-seated sense of justice and woundedness. It’s in this space where the new Hindi box office smash hit Animal attempts to manoeuvre in. The film is a stylistic and excessive exercise in generational disenchantment and toxic masculinity, which never fails to escape one-note captivity.

The 2023 film tells the story of a violent and emotionally volatile young man called Ranvijay “Vijay” Singh (Ranbir Kapoor). He’s the son of a famous Delhi-based tycoon, Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor), who owns a steel company called “Swastik Steels.” After a series of difficult years where the pair have not gotten along, Vijay seeks to take over the protection of his father after an assassination attempt on the business’ mogul. This starts a chain of events that further entrenches Vijay in a cycle of violence that will cause ruin to his marriage with childhood sweetheart, Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna) and his coveted paternal relationship.

To its credit, Animal is a refreshing film that neatly differentiates itself from a lot of its Bollywood brethren. Flamboyant and fanciful musical sequences are instead replaced with a persistent use of lyrical pieces that underscore a vast array of sequences from action to romantically driven. And early on, the screenplay has a no nonsense approach to its romantic and familial relationships that feels immediate and emotionally accessible.

This is complemented by some quite effective action direction that feels visceral and raw. There’s one sequence near the intermission where there’s a heart pumping use of diegetic music, as the scene is scored by a song that Vijay is listening to. The result is a sheer spectacle of carnage that occasionally rivalled scenes I had seen in John Wick Chapter 4 from earlier this year.

And the performances are quite on point. In his central turn as Vijay, Ranbir Kapoor portrays a profound sense of loss, manifesting in small gestures and facial expressions that never lets the viewer forget the child within the raging adult. Rashmika Mandanna casts an impression in the quiet intensity she brings via various line readings in the final stretch of the film that contrast with her almost silent screen presence in the first half. And Bobby Deol steals the show as a crime boss that Vijay has to confront. Introduced via a Brain DePalma esque split screen camera move, Deol convincingly portrays the garment of emotions from vulnerable to sadistic in a character that’s an excellent example of pure unbridled ID.

Despite these virtues, Animal never fails to feel quite one-note in its themes and characterisation. Part of this comes from the construction of the story. In large part, it’s non linear with big plot points being thrown at the audience and then fleshed out via flashbacks later. In theory, this is not a bad idea. However, in practice it proves to be a chore as motivations and possible subtext are relegated to quite late in the film. As such, the film feels like its unfocused, often favoring the excesses of its action and violence to the motivation and reason for those scenes.

With what the film presents, Vijay’s penchant for action and violence comes from a father who favored looking at the world to be conquered, instilling a sense of fear that something is always around the corner and has to be stood up to. I wish there was more set up and playing around with this idea as generational stories can be a rich vein for thematic material. The same can be said for Vijay’s toxic masculinity traits, which are briefly commented on in a few scenes but are dropped like a hot potato for much of the run time.

What we’re left with is a spirited effort that holds its own (in some ways) to its Hollywood counterparts. But what made those cited films so special is that they felt as though they were commenting on the culture and mindset of a country at the time. There was more that made their character studies soar. The same could not be said for Animal. In fact, throughout, I was reminded of Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid. That’s a film that’s equally as strange and gonzo in its exploration of parental disenchantment. But the difference is the distinctive way it juxtaposed its world and the main character with black and surreal humour.

Beyond the central reason for Vijay acting out, the film does not seem interested in the same quality that made Beau so indelible. There’s one thread where Vijay makes a speech, that’s depicted in quite a Fascistic manner insofar as the staging and use of colour. However, aside from a joke about it later on involving the difference between the Nazi and original Hindu Swastika, this bubbling theme of Vijay’s toxic masculinity having political/ideological implications is never explored further. As such, I felt as though the movie was always keeping me at arms length in a manner that eventually became quite exhausting.