Animal (2023 Indian film)

Animal is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action drama film co-written, directed and edited by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and produced by T-Series Films, Bhadrakali Pictures and Cine1 Studios. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Tripti Dimri. In the film, Ranvijay Singh learns about an assassination attempt on his father and sets out on a path of vengeance and destruction.
The film was officially announced in January 2021. Principal photography began in April 2022 and wrapped by April 2023, with cinematography by Amit Roy. The film's soundtrack album was composed by Pritam, JAM8, Vishal Mishra, Jaani, Manan Bhardwaj, Shreyas Puranik, Ashim Kemson and Harshavardhan Rameshwar. With a runtime of 201 minutes, Animal is one of the longest Indian films ever made. It was initially set for an August 2023 release but was postponed due to post-production work.
Animal was theatrically released on 1 December 2023, in standard and IMAX formats. It generally received mixed reviews from critics with praise for its acting, technical aspects and visuals, but criticised the film's runtime, graphic violence, and script. Several commentators also accused the makers of glorifying toxic masculinity and misogyny. The film broke several box office records for a Hindi film, both domestically and internationally. It has grossed worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, the fifth highest-grossing Hindi film, the eighth highest-grossing Indian film, the highest-grossing A-rated Indian film, and the highest-grossing film of Ranbir Kapoor's career. At the 69th Filmfare Awards, the film received 19 nominations and won a leading six awards, including Best Actor for Ranbir Kapoor.
== Plot ==
Ranvijay "Vijay" Singh is the son of Balbir Singh, a powerful Delhi-based industrialist. Despite Balbir being a strict father, Vijay's love for his father is deep and abiding. Balbir doesn't know about his son's devotion for him due to his busy schedule, which also keeps him from spending time with his family.
One day, Balbir expels Vijay to a boarding school in the USA when Vijay threatens the bullies of his elder sister Reet with an AK-47. Vijay finishes his education and returns home after several years. During Balbir's birthday party, Vijay gets into an argument with his brother-in-law Varun, prompting Balbir to expel him from the house again. Vijay marries his childhood girlfriend Geetanjali from a Telugu family and the couple cuts ties with their families and moves to the USA. Eight years later, Vijay, Geetanjali and their two kids return to India upon learning that Balbir had an assassination attempt. After meeting his father, Vijay reconciles with his family and takes it upon himself to uncover the assassin's identity. He rounds up his second cousins from the village for backup and recruits a body double for his father, who is eventually killed by a gangster named Asrar Haque. Vijay discovers Varun's role in the assassination attempt and kills him publicly at a conference with his cousins, where Asrar is also present.
Vijay and his cousins meet Freddy, an arms dealer at a hotel where Asrar arrives with his assailants to kill Vijay. Vijay takes them all down with a machine gun and kills Asrar, but gets severely wounded and became bedridden with a damaged sense of hearing. He wakes up after two weeks and undergoes a heart transplant for his failing heart. Meanwhile, in Scotland, Asrar's brother Abrar Haque learns of his death during Abrar's third wedding and kills one of his men publicly at the wedding. Abrar and his other brother Abid go to a house where they shoot the man who was keeping tabs on Asrar revealing Abrar was the one who planned the assassination attempt on Balbir. Vijay recuperates after several months and is approached by Zoya, the fiancée of his heart donor. Vijay starts an extramartial affair with Zoya, who eventually reveals that she was sent by Abrar to honey trap him, so that one of his brothers who transformed himself into another Vijay, would kill his family, but Vijay reveals that he had already knew this and played along to learn the mastermind's identity.
Vijay learns from his grandfather Rajdheer Singh that Abrar and his brothers are Vijay's second cousins. They are the grandchildren of Shamsher Singh, Rajdheer's younger brother. Rajdheer had renounced Shamsher for his immoral antics. Shamsher's son Azim, who had converted to Islam and married a couple of times, was denied any share in Balbir's assets, which prompted Shamsher to commit suicide by setting himself on fire. Abrar, who had witnessed his grandfather's suicide, became mute from the trauma. Vijay then reveals to Geethanjali about the affair with Zoya and she becomes depressed and angry at Vijay but the two put aside their differences.
Vijay with his cousins stops Abrar, who is about to escape the country in a private jet with Abid. A violent fistfight ensues on the runway for a couple of hours. Vijay requests Abrar to stop targeting Balbir to which he denies. At the end of the fight Vijay brutally slits Abrar's throat, thereby putting an end to the chapter.
Back in India during Diwali, Balbir reveals that he has stage 4 ALL with only a few months left to live. He realises that his lack of love for his son has always been the root cause of Vijay's aggression. Balbir finally apologises to Vijay who bitterly cries in the pain of losing his father, the one whom he loved more than anyone. At this time, Geetanjali leaves Vijay for USA with their children, but their son Abhay runs back to Vijay.
In a mid-credits scene, Aziz Haque, a butcher in Istanbul and the youngest of the Haque brothers, is revealed as the one who underwent plastic surgery to resemble another Vijay. Zoya and Abid are with him and Zoya is revealed to be pregnant, though unsure whether the child's father is Aziz or Vijay. After butchering two of Vijay's cousins brutally, Aziz sets out with Abid to exact revenge for the deaths of their two elder brothers.
== Cast ==
*Ranbir Kapoor in a double role as Ranvijay "Vijay" Singh Balbir and Aziz Haque
***Ahmad Ibn Umar as young Ranvijay
*Anil Kapoor in a double role as Balbir Singh and Kailash Petkar
*Bobby Deol as Abrar Haque
**Leon Ung as young Abrar
*Rashmika Mandanna as Geetanjali Iyengar Singh
**Diyara Valecha as young Geetanjali
*Triptii Dimri as Zoya Ahmed
*Charu Shankar as Jyoti Singh, Ranvijay's mother
*Shakti Kapoor as PK Mishra, COO of Swastik Steels Corporation
*Prem Chopra as Dalbir Dodamal Singh "Bade Daji", Ranvijay's granduncle
*Babloo Prithiveeraj as Asrar Haque, Abrar and Aziz's first brother
*Madhu Raja as Rani Kaur "Beeji", Dalbir Singh's wife
*Suresh Oberoi as Rajdheer Dodamal Singh "Dadaji", Ranvijay's grandfather
*Saurabh Sachdeva as Abid Haque, Abrar and Aziz's second brother
*Saloni Batra as Reet Singh Malhotra, Ranvijay's elder sister
**Neeven Ved as young Reet
*Anshul Chauhan as Roop Singh, Ranvijay's younger sister
**Eva Chibber as young Roop
*Siddhant Karnick as Varun Pratap Malhotra, Reet's husband and Ranvijay's brother-in-law
*Maganti Srinath as Karthik Iyengar, Geetanjali's brother
*Upendra Limaye as Freddy Wilfred Patil
*Mathew Varghese as Professor Shreepad Balaji Iyengar, Karthik and Geetanjali's father
*Indira Krishnan as Motika Iyengar, Karthik and Geetanjali's mother
*Kunal Thakur as Ahaan, Geetanjali's fiancé
*Mrinmayee Godbole as Dr. Amrita
== Production ==
===Development===
In September 2019, it was reported that Sandeep Reddy Vanga would turn into a producer for his next directional venture in Bollywood. It was further reported that he would produce the venture along with Murad Khetani, Ashwin Varde, Bhushan Kumar and Kishan Kumar under Cine1 Studios and T-Series. On 10 October, the company's and Vanga's new production banner Bhadrakali Pictures announced their collaboration for Vanga's next directional; marking their second collaboration after Kabir Singh (2019). In early December, Vanga was reported to have approached Ranbir Kapoor to play the lead role in the film. ETimes reported that Kapoor was "keen" to work on the film, however, would finalize it only after hearing the final script, which was still progressing writing.
In June 2020 however, it was reported that Vanga met Kapoor in January and narrated another script, which was reportedly titled Devil. In late December, Anil Kapoor was reported to be part of the cast. On 1 January 2021, the company's made an official public announcement of the venture, revealing also the title of the film and the crew. In late April, Bobby Deol and Parineeti Chopra were cast, with the former playing lead antagonist role, while the latter plays lead actress role.
In March 2022, it was reported that Rashmika Mandanna was to dance in an item number for the film. The same month, Mandanna had replaced Chopra, as Vanga was not satisfied with the casting of Chopra during photoshoots. On 2 April, Mandanna's commitments were officially announced. Mandanna called it "a dream come true." Vanga cited Kill Bill as the inspiration for the film's action sequences.
===Filming===
Principal photography began in Manali in April 2022. The second schedule was in Mumbai in May 2022 and filming was held at Pataudi Palace in July 2022. The next schedules were held in Delhi and Punjab. The filming was wrapped up in mid-March 2023. The film resumed in England and Scotland beginning in April with a schedule of 15–20 days.
== Music ==
The film score is composed by Harshavardhan Rameshwar, who scored Reddy's previous films Arjun Reddy and its Hindi remake Kabir Singh. The songs featured in the film are composed by Pritam, JAM8, Vishal Mishra, Jaani, Manan Bhardwaj, Shreyas Puranik, Ashim Kemson, Harshvardhan Rameshwar, Bhupinder Babbal, A. R. Rahman and Ajay–Atul. Lyrics were written by Manoj Muntashir, Raj Shekhar, Siddharth-Garima, Jaani, Manan Bhardwaj, Ashim Kemson and Bhupinder Babbal.
The album features eight tracks with four singles—"Hua Main", "Satranga", "Papa Meri Jaan" and "Arjan Vailly"—were released before the audio launch. The soundtrack to Animal was released at a music launch and fan experience event held on 24 November 2023 at Mehboob Studio in Mumbai. A deluxe edition album was released on 15 January 2024, featuring nine additional tracks.
== Marketing ==
The teaser was released on Kapoor's Birthday 28 September 2023. Arijit Singh held a concert in Chandigarh where Ranbir Kapoor joined him to promote film with the song Satranga on 4 November 2023. During the semi-final of 2023 Cricket World Cup, Ranbir Kapoor attended the stadium to watch the match and for promotional activities of the film on 15 November 2023. The teaser was showcased on Burj Khalifa on 18 November 2023, they also conducted film promotions at Marq Club and Dubai's Global Village on the same day in Dubai. The trailer was released on 23 November 2023. The cast appeared on the Unstoppable talk show, which premiered on Aha on 24 November 2023. They also appeared on Indian Idol. Before the pre-release event they conducted press conference tours in Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru. The film held its pre-release event in Hyderabad on 27 November 2023 with Mahesh Babu and S. S. Rajamouli as the chief guests.
== Release ==
===Theatrical===
Animal was initially set for an 11 August 2023 release, but was postponed due to post-production and dubbing work, as well as to avoid clashing with Jailer, Gadar 2 and Oh My God 2. It was theatrically released on 1 December 2023 in standard and IMAX formats in Hindi with dubbed versions in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages. The film was released across 4000 screens in India, the screen count was impacted due to the clash with Sam Bahadur which was releasing on the same day.
The film had planned to premiere in North America on 30 November 2023, a day before its release. In the United States, it will be screened in 888 theaters, marking the highest number for a Hindi film, surpassing the screen count of Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022) and Jawan (2023).
Animal received an A (adults only) certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification, a day prior to its trailer release, for strong bloody violence, profanity and some sexuality. It has been classified 18 by the British Board of Film Classification for the same reason.
===Distribution===
AA Films acquired the theatrical rights of the film to distribute in North India and overseas. Sri Venkateswara Creations acquired the distribution rights for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. E4 Entertainment and AP International acquired distribution rights for Tamil Nadu and Kerala. KVN Productions acquired distribution rights for Karnataka. Moksha Movies and Nirvana Cinemas acquired theatrical distribution rights for North America.Official handle of the film, T-series and Rashmika Mandanna have tagged the official handles of the distributors. 
===Home media===
The digital streaming rights of Animal were acquired by Netflix.Shown in Credits The film was premiered on Netflix from 26 January 2024. While Vanga initially stated that it would have an additional 8 minutes of footage, it was later announced that Netflix would stream the theatrical cut with no additional scenes. An English dub, with actor Nakuul Mehta lending his voice to Ranbir Kapoor's character, and actress Samridhii Shukla lending her voice to Triptii Dimri's character; began streaming on 8 February 2024.
On Netflix, Animal became one of the most watched films with 11.7 million viewership in first two weeks, surpassing films Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire and Dunki. Animal ranked in the top 10 in six countries in the first week, 17 countries in the second, and continued to maintain the ranking in the following weeks in nine countries.
== Reception ==
===Critical response===
Awarding the film 4.5/5 stars, Bollywood Hungama praised "Ranbir Kapoor’s outstanding performance, clap-worthy massy scenes, and interval block." Sukanya Verma of Rediff gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Animal is relentless as a euphoric medley of feral rage and dance of the dysfunctional. The twists go on well until end credits as more blood is splattered our way." Ganesh Aaglave of Firstpost gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote,"Animal is an adrenaline experience which will have polarising views but you can't deny its entertaining quotient, breathtaking performances and storytelling." Puja Awasthi of The Week gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Animal for all its blood and gore, is the story of a son’s aching desire for his father’s approval. Why even its ballads are less romantic, more revenge. And its female characters for all their luminosity, are just props".
Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times found it "an absolute massy, entertaining and extremely violent thriller which doesn't believe in conforming to the norms", while adding that the extreme violence might be off-putting for some. Titas Chowdhury of News18 gave 3.5/5 stars, labelled it "dark, loud and garish but also unapologetic", and thought that Ranbir Kapoor "breathes life into this undesirable character with a lot of charisma and swag". Abhimanyu Mathur of DNA India rated the film 3.5/5 and opined, "Animal takes everything that was problematic and increases it several notches. It is downright the most violent Hindi film I have seen, and also one of the most inherently toxic and misogynist. The amazing part is that it is still very well made and entertaining, enhanced further by yet another great performance from Kapoor".
Conversely, Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India gave 2.5/5 stars and termed the film "all swag and no substance derailed family drama"; she was critical of "Vanga's take on women or violence" but praised Ranbir's "raw sex appeal and unmatched intensity". India Todays Anvita Singh gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Ranbir Kapoor is stellar in problematic, paper-thin film." Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in wrote "Ranbir is on fire, inhabiting to a frightening degree Vijay's delusional personal war. Reptile-eyed even at his smoldering best, Kapoor's career-best performance makes Animal tough to stomach, but equally difficult to ignore".
In a negative review, Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express expressed disappointment that the performances of Ranbir and Anil Kapoor had been "wasted in this pointless, vile tale". Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "The sickeningly violent father-son action drama rarely pauses for breath." Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote: "Sandeep Reddy Vanga's film has the kind of writing you'll find in BDSM erotica like Fifty Shades of Grey, but presented with the same earnestness of 'pure love' that we saw in Arjun Reddy." Phuong Le of The Guardian gave 1/5 stars and wrote "Animal sinks even further into regressive depths, resulting in one of the vilest protagonists to have graced the big screen." Pranati A S of Deccan Herald gave 1/5 stars and wrote "If you thought Arjun Reddy was toxic, then Animal will rattle your cage."
===Box office===
Animal broke several box-office records for a Hindi film. The film had the fourth-biggest advance booking in Hindi cinema, and the third-highest for 2023 after Jawan and Pathaan. On its opening day, the film collected a total India net of second highest after Jawan, worldwide gross of including overseas gross of US$5.5 million (₹46 crore). Eventually it became the highest non-holiday opening of all time for a Hindi film breaking the previous record held by Ranbir Kapoor's Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva. On its second day, netted over ₹67 crore and over ₹70 crore on third day in India for a three days total net collection of ₹201 crore and became one of the fastest Hindi film to achieve this after Jawan, making it third top opening weekend for Hindi films. Worldwide it earned over for three consecutive days during its opening weekend, for a total worldwide weekend gross collection of ₹356 crore (US$42.1 million). It had one of the highest Hindi net collection on its first Monday and Tuesday. In the first week it earned a total worldwide gross collection of . On its 8th day, the film surpassed the lifetime worldwide collection of Sanju (2018) and becomes the highest-grossing film of Kapoor's career. On its 17th day, the film reached ₹500 crore net collection across all languages in India and on the same day the film crosses 3 crore footfalls in India. On its 35th day, the film reached ₹500 crore net in Hindi and ₹550 crore across all languages in India, eventually it became the second-highest net grossing Hindi film in India. Box Office India declared the film an "All Time Blockbuster".
In the United States, the film was released alongside Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, Silent Night, Godzilla Minus One, and The Shift, and made $6.1 million from 888 theatres in its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place, behind the second weekend totals of Wish and Napoleon. Worldwide, it emerged as the No. 1 film on its opening weekend with the total of $42.1 million including the $13.88 million of international markets, surpassing all the films globally. In its first week the film earned over $19.2 million from international markets.
, the film has grossed over in India and in overseas for a worldwide gross collection of .
== Accolades ==
Animal awards and nominations
Award 	Ceremony date 	Category 	Recipients 	Result 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Film 	T-Series Films, Cine1 Studios, Bhadrakali Pictures	rowspan="3"	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Director 	Sandeep Reddy Vanga 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Editing 	Sandeep Reddy Vanga 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Actor 	Ranbir Kapoor 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Supporting Actor 	Anil Kapoor 	rowspan="4"	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Supporting Actor 	Bobby Deol 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Supporting Actress 	Triptii Dimri 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Screenplay 	Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Pranay Reddy Vanga
Suresh Bandaru	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Music Director 	PritamVishal MishraHarshavardhan RameshwarShreyas Puranik
Ashim Kemson
Bhupinder Babbal
Jaani	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Lyricist 	Siddharth–Garima – "Satranga" 	rowspan="2"	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Male Playback Singer	Arijit Singh – "Satranga" 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Male Playback Singer	Bhupinder Babbal – "Arjan Vailly" 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Background Score 	Harshavardhan Rameshwar 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Production Design 	Suresh Selvarajan 	rowspan="2"	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Cinematography 	Amit Roy 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Sound Design 	Sync Cinema 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Costume Design 	Sheetal Sharma 	rowspan="3"	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Action 	Supreme Sundar 	 	
Filmfare Awards	28 January 2024	Best Special Effects 	Do It Creative LTD
NY VFXWala
Visual Birds
Red Chillies VFX
Famous Studios	 	
== Sequel ==
The film's post-credits scene teases a sequel titled Animal Park, which was confirmed in December 2023 by Vanga. Shortly after the film's release, Vanga said the sequel would be "darker" and "meaner" than its predecessor. In an interview, Kapoor revealed Vanga had prepared and narrated a few scenes for the sequel to him.
== External links ==
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== References ==
Category:2020s Hindi-language films
Category:2023 action drama films
Category:2023 action thriller films
Category:2023 crime action films
Category:2023 crime thriller films
Category:Films about dysfunctional families
Category:Films about father–son relationships
Category:Films directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Category:Films set in Delhi
Category:Films shot in Manali, Himachal Pradesh
Category:Films shot in Scotland
Category:Films shot in the United Kingdom
Category:Hindi-language action drama films
Category:Indian action drama films
Category:Indian action thriller films
Category:Indian crime action films
Category:Indian crime thriller films
Category:Indian films about revenge
Category:Indian gangster films
Category:Indian IMAX films
Category:Indian nonlinear narrative films