Javed Akhtar compares people who made Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal to ‘perverts’.
While many people loved Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, there was a lot of criticism for the violent and misogynistic tone of the film. Javed Akhtar expressed his criticism for the film strictly. However, the legendary writer has now mentioned that his criticism was for the people who liked the film.
In an interview with Barkha Dutt, Javed Akhtar compared the makers of the film to ‘perverts’ and said that if society appreciates their work then the problem lies with the society. He said, “Societies don’t move in a linear manner. So many things keep happening together. However, just like how there are many subplots in stories, there is also a main theme. We have to see what’s the main theme. All these are subplots, some are good, and some are bad. It’s not like the whole society changes together completely. Some people take very small and hesitant steps, while others move faster. Animal also exists.”
He further admitted having a problem with Animal being superhit and said, “The title tells you why. The title is self-explanatory. I didn’t express my opinion on Animal, I spoke about the audience that watched it. If 15 people have made a film with the wrong values, if 10-12 people make obscene songs, that’s not the problem. If 15 people are perverts among the 140 crore population, it doesn’t matter. When that thing goes on the market and becomes a superhit, that’s the problem.”
He also expressed his disappointment on how vulgarity has become a norm now and said, “There were vulgar songs in the 1920-30s as well, but they did not find general acceptance in households. Vulgarity wasn’t invented in the last ten years, it has existed since forever. However, there wasn’t an acceptance in the middle class for such vulgarity, which exists now.”
Upon the release of Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, the film became a massive hit earning over Rs 900 crore at the box office worldwide. However, Javed Akhtar was one of the first veterans to criticize the film. Sandeep Reddy Vanga also hit back at him for calling out the film and saying that the success of films like Animal was “dangerous”.
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