Javed Akhtar Seemingly Calls Animal BO Success 'Dangerous': 'A Man Asks A Woman To Lick His Shoe...'

Speaking at the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival in Aurangabad, Javed Akhtar opened up on the type of films gaining success these days. While addressing the audience, he took the stage to discuss the current landscape of films and songs, holding the audience responsible for their success. Without explicitly mentioning Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol, the lyricist expressed his concerns about the type of films that become big hits in today’s era.

“If there’s a film in which a man asks a woman to lick his shoe, if a man says it’s okay to slap a woman…and the film is a super hit, that’s dangerous,” he said, seemingly referring to a scene between Ranbir and Triptii Dimrii’s characters in the much-talked about film. Incidentally, Vanga’s film Kabir Singh (the Hindi remake of his Telugu hit, Arjun Reddy) starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani, had a scene wherein Shahid’s character slaps Kiara’s character.

He said it’s up to the audience to decide which films and music become successful. People should take responsibility for what they watch, as it influences the kind of content that gets made. “More than the filmmaker, the onus lies with the audience today. You take responsibility too for the kind of films you watch. That’s what decides what kind of films will be made. You decide what’s made and what should be rejected. The value and moralities shown in our films lie in your hands,” he said.

Animal has received polarising reviews. While many have called the film out for ‘glorifying toxic masculinity’ yet again after Kabir Singh, a huge section of the audience has also praised Ranbir Kapoor for his performance. The film did well at the box office.