Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga talked about the criticism his film ‘Animal’ received. Talking on the Game Changers podcast, he noticed that people spend a lot of time criticizing films, but rarely discuss important social issues. An IAS officer named Vikas Divyakriti criticized ‘Animal’ so harshly that Vanga felt like he had done something wrong.
Sandeep said, “There is this IAS officer. In a very serious interview, he said, ‘Movies like Animal shouldn’t be made’. The way he sounded, the way he was saying, it was literally, mujhe laga ki kuch criminal kaam kiya maine. ‘On one hand, films like 12th Fail are made and on the other films like Animal jo samaajh ko peeche leke jarraha hai’.”
He noted that someone can pass the IAS exam by dedicating a few years to studying books. “I’m very honest in saying this ki koi unnecessary attack karega na toh 100% gusssa ayegaa (If anyone attacks unnecessarily, there will be anger). I feel that, he is an IAS officer, he studied to become one. What I think is, go to Delhi, get enrolled in an institute, give 2-3 years of your life, you can crack IAS. There will be a limited amount of books, right? You will study 1500 books…you can crack IAS. I’ll give you in writing. There is no course, there is no teacher that can make you a filmmaker and a writer,” added Vanga.
Vikas Divyakirti, a UPSC professor, appeared as himself in the 2023 film ’12th Fail’. Last year, talking on Neelesh Misra’s Slow Interview series, he expressed his strong disapproval of the film ‘Animal’. He stated, “A film like Animal takes our society back by 10 years. A film like this should not be made. You earned money. You showed that your hero behaves like an animal. There should be some social value, or are people working only for financial value?”
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’ released in 2023, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna, and Triptii Dimri. The film got mixed reviews for its portrayal of toxic masculinity and misogyny, but it did very well at the box-office.
