New Delhi: Sandeep Reddy Vanga's ‘Animal’ shattered several box office records in the last month. The action-thriller stars Triptii Dimri, Ranbir Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna. At a recent round table, Karan Johar discussed the film's phenomenal success. Karan Johar was hesitant to publicly praise ‘Animal’ because of his fear of judgement. He complimented Vanga, saying “this is not an average thinking mind.”In his review, he gushed about it and explained in depth the director's skill.
While speaking at the Galatta Plus-organized Mega Pan India Roundtable 2023, Karan Johar—who was sitting next to Sandeep Reddy Vanga—called ‘Animal’ the best film of the year.
The director explained in an interview that the film left an impression on him, saying, “I’m just going to say it that I loved Animal for its front footed absolutely conviction-based narrative, storytelling, breaking myths, breaking everything that you conform to in mainstream cinema. Suddenly, you have an interval block where the hero is getting bashed up, and people are singing a song. I’m like, ‘Where have you seen a sequence like this? It’s genius.’”
Karan also said in the same conversation that he became emotional at the conclusion when Ranbir Kapoor and Bobby Deol squared off. “The end when the two men are going for each other, and they play that song, I had tears in my eyes and there was only blood. So, I was like something is wrong with me, something is wrong with him (Sandeep Reddy Vanga), but something put together is very right about the film," he said.
He went on to say that it was clearly not an average thinking mind. “This is the mind of somebody who is so distinct and so individualistic that I was so blown away,” he said.
Johar said, "I saw the film twice," in reference to the film's 'game-changing’ success.
Released on December 1, 2023, 'Animal' centres on a turbulent father-son relationship.