Ranbir Kapoor in a film still from Animal. (Courtesy: YouTube)
Ranbir Kapoor's Animal has hit it out of the ballpark on its third Sunday. Ending 2023 on a great note, the film, which continues to re-write record books, has finally breached the ₹500 crore mark. This is after the Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial minted ₹15 crore on Day 17 at the domestic box office, as per Sacnilk. Animal's business on day 17 has taken its total collection to ₹ 512.94 crore. The action-drama that revolves around a complex father-son relationship made a whopping ₹13.00 crore across all languages on day 16. Animal, apart from Ranbir Kapoor, features Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol and Triptii Dimri in important roles.
Ranbir Kapoor, who essays the role of Ranvijay Singh Balbir, called Animal “the adult-rated Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”. Ahead of the film's release, Ranbir said, “Animal is basically the adult-rated Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. If I had to describe this story in a line, then it's about a man who goes to any length to protect his family. That's what the core of the film is.” About his role, Ranbir added, “I won't call it darkness but it is the most complex character I have played. Sandeep has given many colours to not just mine but every character. He gives all characters different emotions and complexities and that is very exciting to portray.”
Bobby Deol's character, “Animal Ka Enemy” Abrar Haque, in particular, has become a fan-favourite. Even before the release of the film, Abrar Haque became an internet sensation. Bobby Deol talked about his character and said, “I didn't think of my character as a villain. I saw my character as a child who was traumatised when he saw his grandfather committing suicide, so he lost his voice. He swears to avenge his grandfather's death. He is very family-oriented. He is also romantic, he has three wives. He can kill and also get killed for his family.”
Meanwhile, in his review for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee gave 1.5 stars to Animal. Talking about Ranbir Kapoor's performance, he wrote, “Ranbir Kapoor delivers a powerful performance that is supported with customary elan by Anil Kapoor. But because the film is propelled in the main by problematic means and instincts, the efforts of the two stars can only go abegging. You want to look away when the two are peddling their wares.” Check out the complete review here.
Animal hit the theatres on December 1, clashing with Meghna Gulzar's Sam Bahadur, headlined by Vicky Kaushal.