Animal Review {4.5/5} & Review Rating
ANIMAL is the story of an obsessed son. Ranvijay (Ranbir Kapoor) is the son of Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor), who heads the successful Swastik Steel company. Ranvijay resides in a palatial mansion in Delhi with Balbir, his mother Jyoti (Charu Shankar), sisters Reet (Saloni Batra) and Roop (Anshul Chauhan). Ranvijay crazily loves Balbir. But Balbir doesn’t reciprocate as he’s too busy with work. Both also get into fights and after one such showdown, Balbir sends Ranvijay away for studies. Ranvijay returns and attends the engagement of his school classmate, Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna). He always had feelings for her and he confesses it in such a way that Geetanjali falls for him. She breaks her engagement. Meanwhile, on Balbir’s 60th birthday, Ranvijay fights with Varun (Siddhant Karnick), Reet’s husband. One thing leads to another and Ranvijay is kicked out. He marries Geetanjali and moves to the US. 8 years later, he returns when Balbir gets shot by unidentified assailants. Varun tries to act pricey but Ranvijay takes charge. He makes it his life mission to find out who tried killing the man whom he has worshipped since birth. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga's story is simple. Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Pranay Reddy Vanga and Suresh Bandaru's screenplay, however, packs in a lot. There are several sub-plots and characters and riveting moments that give an audience an experience of a wholesome entertainer. However, there are cracks in the second half in the writing. Saurabh Gupta's dialogues are out-of-the-box and some of the one-liners are shocking.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga's direction is stylish and massy. He peppers the film with enough dramatic and action scenes to keep the interest going. Though the film is 3 hours and 23 minutes long, one doesn’t get bored at all. The father-son and the husband-wife tracks stand out and are the most memorable, when it comes to the emotional aspect. As for the massy aspect, the scene where Ranvijay teaches college bullies a lesson will be greeted with whistles. The entire episode 30 minutes before the interval takes the impact to dizzying heights. Right from Ranvijay heading to Punjab to get his cousins on board to the much-talked-about 18-minute long interval block, the impact is seen to be believed. There will be a frenzy in cinemas, especially in the Northern belt. Also, ANIMAL is a real Pan-India film as there’s also a Maharashtrian connection which will appeal to audiences in the Western state.
Sadly, after an out-of-the-world first half, ANIMAL drops slightly in the second half. The massy stuff, which is present in the first half in ample doses, is absent post-interval. Also, some of the scenes between the husband and wife may not be appreciated by a section of the female audience. Lastly, the runtime could have been shorter.
Animal (Offical Trailer): Ranbir Kapoor | Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol
Speaking of performances, Ranbir Kapoor shines. The way he gets into the skin of his character is seen to be believed. The supreme actor has given several outstanding performances in the past but in ANIMAL, hands down, is his best performance till date. Anil Kapoor has fewer dialogues, but he also rocks the show. His expressions are bang-on and speaks a lot. The scenes where he raises his voice are arresting. Rashmika Mandanna is quite good and leaves a mark in certain scenes, especially in the second half. Bobby Deol (Abrar) looks dashing and in form. Sadly, his screen time is very limited. Siddhant Karnick is memorable in a small role. Charu Shankar and Saloni Batra are decent. Anshul Chauhan doesn’t get much scope. Triptii Dimri (Zoya) puts in a sincere act. Suresh Oberoi (Dadaji) and Prem Chopra (Bade Daarji) have nothing much to do. The same goes for Shakti Kapoor (Mishra). Upendra Limaye (Freddy) is thoroughly entertaining in a special appearance. Bablu Prithviraj (Asrar Haque) and Saurabh Sachdeva (Abid Haque) are fair. The actors playing Ranvijay's cousins do well.
ANIMAL's soundtrack is quite good. 'Arjun Vailly' is the best song of the lot and also the most impactful. 'Hua Main' and 'Satranga' are well-shot. 'Pehle Bhi Main' and 'Papa Meri Jaan' are touching. Harshvardhan Rameshwar's background score adds to the tension and mass appeal.
Amit Roy's cinematography is cinematic. Suresh Selvarajan's production design is rich. Sheetal Iqbal Sharma's costumes are in sync with the status of the characters. Supreme Sundar's action is very violent and disturbing. Do It Creative Ltd, NY VFXWaala, Visual Birds Studio, Famous Studio, and Red Chillies.VFX's VFX is first-class. Sandeep Reddy Vanga's editing is appropriate, but a few scenes could have been done away with.
On the whole, ANIMAL is a powerful film that rests on Ranbir Kapoor’s outstanding performance, clap-worthy massy scenes, and an interval block that is simply out of the world. At the box office, the tremendous hype and curiosity will lead to a fantabulous opening, and it will emerge as a Blockbuster at the ticket windows.
