Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal has entered the 500-crore club and continues to receive rave reviews. The movie, revolving around a troubled father-son bond, goes way beyond daddy issues. It showcases the ruthless underworld rulers and toxic masculinity. While many loved the movie, others have criticized Ranbir Kapoor's character and his traits.
Speaking of toxicity, Animal actress
Tripti Dimri opened up about the controversial shoe-licking scene. She revealed the scene was framed and shaped after a lot of discussions between her, Sandeep Reddy Vanga, and Ranbir Kapoor.
For the uninitiated, Tripti Dimri grabbed eyeballs and became the hottest discussion in B-town after her small stint in
Animal. She played Ranbir Kapoor's love interest, who had menacing intentions to kill him. However, in the process of befriending him, she falls in love with Ranbir and ends up confessing the truth.
Tripti Dimri on the success of Animal
For people who have not seen Animal yet, this may come as a spoiler for you. A scene following her confession shows Ranbir asking Tripti to lick his shoes to prove her love for him. This became a roaring controversy as many fans and critics criticized it.
Also Read: Animal Actress Tripti Dimri Was Secretly Dating Anushka Sharma's Brother Karnesh, Deets InsideIn her latest interview, the actress opened up about the success of Animal and how she rose to fame with the movie.
Speaking to Indian Express, Tripti Dimri says, 'This was my theatrical film after so long. I had forgotten how it feels to look at yourself on the big screen.
Animal reminded me of that. Of course, a big theatrical film comes with its own impact it reaches a different, perhaps wider audience. So many people who discovered me in Animal have now gone back and watched Bulbbull and Qala. That's precisely the dream of an actormdashthat their work should be discovered by newer audiences.'
Despite Rashmika Mandanna being the
leading lady in Animal, it was Dimri who stole the show and became the hot topic of the town. She has seen a rapid growth in her Instagram following. Many fans have even declared Tripti the new national crush.
Talking about the same, the Bulbul actress said, 'The first day there wasn't much that was said about me, so I was like, 'Ok, that happens. I did my best, but at least people are liking the film.' But slowly the tide changed people started talking, and now it hasn't stopped!'
Tripti Dimri defends the shoe-licking scene from Animal
However, along with the praise comes people's backlash and polarizing reviews. Sandeep Reddy Vanga was highly criticized and questioned about portraying women in his films. Be it Kabir Singh, Arjun Reddy, or Animal, he has shown violence and misogyny in all of them.
Tripti Dimri says the controversial "lick my show" scene was discussed in depth between her,
Ranbir Kapoor, and Vanga.
'It reminded me of what my acting coach had told me: the golden rule: never judge your character. The characters you are playing and the characters your co-actor is playing are all humans, and humans have good and bad sides. An actor must be prepared to play characters across the spectrum of good, bad, and ugly, but if you judge a character's motivations and thoughts, you won't be able to play them with honesty. So that's what I kept in mind,' the actress further added.
Also Read: Tripti Dimri Starred in These 5 Films Before AnimalFurther defending the misogynystic scene, Dimri said, 'I also thought that here was a woman who talks about killing his wife, father, kids, the entire family... If someone tells me that, I will perhaps beat that person! Here, he does ask her to do that (lick his shoe) but also walks away later. He clearly is going through a lot of these intense thoughts. Later, when his cousins ask her what they should do with me, he says, 'Let her go wherever she wants to.''
Animal saw a theatrical release on December 1. Apart from Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, and Tripti Dimri, the action drama also starred
Bobby Deol, Suresh Oberoi, and Anil Kapoor in prominent roles.
