So, 'Animal's Ranvijay Singh is another toxic, misogynistic male lead
Ranvijay Balbir Singh (Ranbir Kapoor), Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal's lead, is Reddy Vanga's third toxic, misogynistic, sexist "hero" after the titular protagonists of Arjun Reddy (Vijay Deverakonda) and Kabir Singh (Shahid Kapoor). While Deverakonda and Shahid justified their characters, Ranbir thankfully hasn't, but Animal still raises questions about the filmmaker—Why does he always write vile male heroes that represent toxic masculinity? Animal spoilers ahead.
Example 1: How Ranvijay oozes misogyny
In the first few scenes of Animal, a young, college-going Ranvijay goes to Geetanjali's (Rashmika Mandanna) engagement. Since he was her senior in school, she calls him bhaiya (elder brother), but within minutes, he mansplains her own life and her choices to her, stressing that she needs to break off her engagement and marry him instead. What's worse? She eventually agrees. Gaslighting much?
Example 2: His ways of wooing her are distasteful
During one of these first meetings between the two, Ranvijay tells her unapologetically, "You have a nice pelvis," further adding that she will give birth to healthy kids. What's women's purpose in life, anyway? Only reproduction. They both leave their families for each other and Ranvijay, despite being older, never tries to strike up even one sensible, mature conversation with her family. Such romance.
Example 3: Domestic violence and verbal, mental abuse
Further in the film, their toxic relationship continues, and despite being an educated woman who worked in the US, she doesn't leave him. He almost chokes her once and on another occasion, hurts her with her brassiere, and even though she complains it hurts, he never stops. What's with Reddy Vanga's obsession with slaps, abuse, rage, and lack of safe space in love?
Example 4: He sleeps with another woman, then tells her
During one point, as his strategy, he sleeps with another woman for days, and when he's done, he comes back and tells Geetanjali, who has actually starved herself for him because of Karvachauth. At another juncture, he tells his cousins, "Shaadi me ek darr hona chahiye, ek pakad honi chahiye, meri to gayi (The man should have control in the marriage, mine is lost)."
Final word: Such characters, sadly, stay with men
The larger problem lies with Reddy Vanga's fixation with downplaying women in his cinema. Unfortunately, people take inspiration and brand such protagonists as "alpha males," not knowing that art should be kept separate from real-life on occasion. Kabir Singh's repercussions are felt even today, and now, some social media accounts have already hailed Animal as "a slap to feminism." Our filmmakers should do better.
