Reviews for “Animal” have been overwhelmingly mixed since its premiere, particularly about its anti-feminist speech and scenes. Despite earning crores of dollars, the movie continues to face criticism and outrage from several celebrities. Several celebrities, including Javed Akhtar, have publicly criticized the film “Animal” for its offensive language and anti-feminist statements. The seasoned author criticized the picture, stating that it is risky for such types of films to succeed.
Javed Akhtar’s criticism for the film Animal
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.” The comments were made during the 9th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Javed Akhtar slammed the film’s makers and said that it is a very problematic movie referring to the dialogue where Ranbir’s character tells a woman to “lick his shoes.” Javed was alluding to a pivotal sequence in the film Animal, wherein Ranbir Kapoor’s key character, Zoya (Triptii Dimri), is requested to lick his shoes as a sign of her devotion. There had already been a discussion about the scenario earlier. The slapping seemed to be a reference to Kiara Advani and Shahid Kapoor’s film Kabir Singh, directed by Sandeep, released in 2019.
The film team reacts to Javed Akhtar’s comment through their official account
The film’s official team has strongly reacted to the criticism against the movie. “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,” the post read.
The public responds to the group’s post and agrees with Javed Akhtar’s remarks
Soon after the team of Animal slammed Javed Akhtar for his criticism, the netizens started giving backlash to the film’s makers even more. One wrote,” You all call yourself Alpha males and get affected by someone’s comments every few days lol”. Another user commented,” Javed Akhtar has written greatest movies/songs of all times! Animal won’t even be remembered after few years! Class is Class! Quality is Quality! Making money isn’t a measure of quality” Another user wrote, “@Javedakhtarjadu has written so many iconic pieces. Even his latest “Nikle the kabhi hum Ghar se” is deeper than your entire film bud. So chill and let others have and share their opinions. Bade aaye Alpha banne, ek comment to hazam hota nahin.”
In the past, writer-actor Swanand Kirkire, film critic Anupam Chopra, and reporters who have criticized the film have all been targeted by the official Animal page, which has a history of taking exception to criticism.
By: Gursharan Kaur