‘Animal’ dialogue writer defends film: ‘Let’s also have some fun’

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’ was one of the biggest hits of 2023. The film was loved by many, but also courted controversy and was criticised for its masochism.

The dialogues, many felt, were also ‘misogynistic’. Now, at a recent event, dialogue writer Saurabh Gupta defended the film. He also addressed the criticism of how a Muslim character was portrayed in the film.

Saurabh Gupta spoke to screenwriter Ghazal Dhaliwal at FICCI Frames. Defending the dialogues of the film, especially the pad-change line, he said, “Cinema ke saath mardon ko sanitary napkin ki importance samjhana, cigarette peena, sharab peena kharab hai woh samjhana, itna bojh padh gaya hai, cinema jhuk gaya hai sir.

Hum thoda maza karte hai na. (In Cinema, to make men understand the importance of sanitary napkins, that smoking and drinking is bad, all of this has become a huge burden. Let’s also have some fun).”

‘Animal’ also featured Bobby Deol as Abrar Haq. His dialogues and the reason for his family’s conversion prompted many to comment that the film is ‘Islamophobic’. Reacting to it, Gupta said, “We felt it fit logically into the script… Now we are realising that there is this view as well. But the hero (Ranbir) is as much of a demon as the villain (Bobby). And he’s a Hindu, but no one said that he was portrayed badly.”

‘Animal’ was released on December 1. The film will soon have a sequel, ‘Animal Park’. It also featured Rashmika Mandanna, Triptii Dimri and Shakti Kapoor in pivotal roles.

Karan Johar on ‘Animal’: ‘Didn’t go deep into the moral communication of the film’