Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal showed us the extent to which his characters were ready to go to achieve catharsis in their lives. Repressed emotions have the power to transform a man into a beast. It is a different zone altogether where you cannot see anything, you cannot feel anything, you do not fear anything, and you start walking on a treacherous path as if you have nothing else to lose. We want to put it out there that Animal is going to offend a lot of people. In Vanga’s world, there is a hazardous amount of toxicity, but he makes it very clear that it is what it is, and he is not going to hold himself back or compromise on any aspect. Sandeep Reddy Vanga tried his best to validate all the negativity, the violence, the toxicity, and the patriarchy, and he firmly asserts his stubborn viewpoint, his archetypal anguish, which is visible through his characters, and the authenticity he brings about in every aspect of the film. It is your personal viewpoint if you want to bash the creators after watching the film or you want to applaud the entire team for making such an effort, but what cannot be denied is that here is a director who knows what he is doing, who is not pretending to be anything other than what he is, and who has put a great deal of thought into each and every minute detail of the film. So, let’s find out what happened in the film, and whether our protagonist will get what he is seeking in life.
Spoiler Alert
What did Ranvijay crave for in life?
Animal began with an aged Ranvijay Singh looking back at the time he spent with his father and how he never had the love and validation he craved. As was made pretty evident by the trailer released earlier, the central theme of Animal was the relationship between the father and the son. Ranvijay looked up to his father, but Balbir Singh never had time for anything apart from his work. Swastik Steel was his passion, his obsession, and he wanted to take his company to great heights. Balbir created an empire for himself, but he lost his son in the process. Ranvijay kept waiting for when his father would just spend a day with him. He didn’t want anything apart from his father’s time. He waited for his birthdays and, for years, just craved for that one pat on the back, one hug, and one smile from him.
Time passed, and the rift between the father and the son became wider. Ranvijay considered that it was his responsibility to look after each and every member of his family in the absence of his father. One time, he got to know that a few students bullied his sister, so he took it upon himself to fight for the respect and integrity of his sister. The college students made fun of Ranvijay when he came inside the classroom wearing his school uniform, but they didn’t know that they had unleashed a beast. Ranvijay went outside for a moment and then came back with the gun of his security personnel. That day, his father slapped him for what he had done, but Ranvijay wasn’t guilty at all, and he felt that somebody had to teach those guys a lesson. That boy craved just one opportunity to be heard, but as always, his father passed judgment even before listening to his side of the story or giving any sort of weight to his narrative.
Why did Ranvijay leave his house?
Ranvijay was sent abroad to study, and when he returned after a span of 8 years, he realized that nothing had changed. His father still treated him with utter disdain, didn’t approve of his ways and means, and had no trust at all in his abilities. In fact, he had more faith in his son-in-law, Varun, which made Ranvijay very jealous of the man. Ranvijay didn’t like how Varun used to call Balbir Singh his father, and he often said that he should address him as sir. Ranvijay came back for his father’s 60th birthday, and there, too, he had a very bad argument with Varun. Ranvijay was very protective of his family, and he didn’t like it if they did not act as one unit. That is why he asked his mother why she hadn’t invited his cousins from the village, as somebody had to be the bigger person and put an end to the conflict. Varun wanted Ranvijay to meet the CM, but the latter didn’t go due to his own arrogance. Ranvijay and Varun had an argument, and the former said such harsh words that Balbir Singh had to come and tell him to apologize to Varun.
Ranvijay apologized, but not because he felt that it was his mistake; he just did it because his sister and his father wanted him to reconcile. But then again, he said something that triggered Balbir Singh, and he asked him to leave his house. That same day, Kartik, Ranvijay’s friend, came with his sister, Geetanjali, to his house and told him that she wanted to get married to him. Any prudent person would have found it very difficult to deal with that situation, but not our protagonist. He loved Geetanjali, and earlier in Animal, he went to her house and expressed his feelings in his own peculiar manner. The confrontation had a deep impact on Geetanjali, and she decided to end her marriage. Ranvijay wanted his father to meet Geetanjali, but Balbir didn’t even acknowledge their presence and went to the adjacent room to cut the cake for his birthday. Ranvijay left India for good and decided that he was never going to come back in this lifetime.
Why did Ranvijay kill Varun?
Balbir Singh was shot twice by an unknown assailant, and he was lucky to survive the blow. After hearing the news of the life-threatening assault, Ranvijay came back to India with Geetanjali and his children. Even at this juncture, he didn’t want a share in Swastik Steel, and he only came to meet his father. Ranvijay would have gone back to the USA if he had realized that things were under control. But he realized that even when such a business tycoon was attacked, nobody had any sort of information about the killer. Varun didn’t know anything, and neither did the entire security team have any sort of leads. Ranvijay realized that, first of all, he would have to surround his father with people whom he could put his trust in. Ranvijay’s grandfather and his brothers, due to a family feud, were not in touch with each other. Ranvijay went to his village and told his cousins that he needed their help. They agreed almost instantly, and Ranvijay came back to his home with a small army of soldiers who were ready to die for the honor and wellbeing of their family. Ranvijay got to know that it was Varun, who was the mole, who had conspired with the perpetrators and orchestrated an attack on his father. Varun wanted to take over the business and destroy the entire family. But before he could do that, Ranvijay went and killed him in cold blood. Later, he told his sister that it was him who had murdered her husband. Roop was distraught, but somewhere, she knew that if he hadn’t done that, then surely her father would have been lying on his deathbed.
Why did Abrar Haque want to kill Balbir Singh?
The Haque brothers were behind the assault on Balbir Singh, and they did so because they wanted revenge for what had happened to their family. Ranvijay’s grandfather had a brother who wasn’t the nicest of human beings, and he indulged in all sorts of immoral and illicit activities. Ranvijay’s grandfather made the decision to throw him out of the family business, and since then, their relationship had deteriorated. This brother went abroad and settled there. He had a son who, after years of leaving India, came back to demand his share. Balbir Singh didn’t give him anything, and in his defense, he said that if he had asked like a brother, he would have still helped his cause, but he demanded in a manner as if it was his birthright, and that was what triggered Balbir. Abrar Haque and his brothers were Ranvijay’s cousins, and they wanted to kill Balbir to avenge the death of their grandfather. Abrar’s grandfather torched himself to death in front of his eyes. From that day on, Abrar became mute, and he took a vow to make Balbir Singh suffer and writhe in pain. One of Abrar’s brothers killed Balbir Singh’s body double, after which Ranvijay mercilessly condemned him to his fateful end. When the news reached Abrar, he was distraught, and he realized that he would have to amend his strategy as the dynamics had changed now.
Did Ranvijay kill Abrar Haque?
Abrar Haque planted a mole in Ranvijay’s life. The girl said that her name was Zoya and that it was her fiancé’s heart that was beating inside him. Ranvijay had a heart transplant surgery, and he was more than happy to welcome Zoya in his place. Ranvijay had known all along that she was a mole, but he hadn’t said anything to her till the last moment. Zoya fell in love with Ranvijay, and when he deceived her by bombing his own car, she spilled the beans. Zoya thought that it was Abrar who had orchestrated the bomb blast, and she told him everything she knew about the brother.
Ranvijay flew to the United Kingdom to face his archnemesis. He was going after the life of his brother, and he knew that he probably wasn’t doing the right thing. But this was war, and Ranvijay was fully aware of what would happen if he didn’t deal with it. Ranvijay’s grandfather and his father both advised him to forgive Abrar, as he was his blood, but he did not agree to them. Ranvijay’s theory was very straight; he said that if someone gave him a guarantee that he was not going to come after him or his family, then he wouldn’t kill the man. Ranvijay told everyone that it was because of his violent ways and means they were all still alive. Abrar and Ranvijay fought for hours on the airstrip at the end of Animal. Abrar was on the verge of losing the battle when, once again, Ranvijay stopped and pleaded with him to make a promise that he wouldn’t come after his family so that he could spare his life. But the arrogant man didn’t agree, and Ranvijay killed him there and then.
Ranvijay came back home, soaked in Abrar’s blood, to show his father what he had done for him. Balbir Singh accepted the fact that he was not a great father, apologized to him, and asked him to forgive him. Ranvijay cried like a baby that day, as it was a cathartic moment for him for which he had waited for his entire life. His father understood him, and maybe it was a bit too late as Balbir Singh was suffering from a terminal illness, and he didn’t have a lot of time, but still, it felt like someone had lifted a huge burden from Ranvijay’s shoulder.
Will there be A Part 2?
Animal 2 is definitely on the cards, as at the end of the film, we saw that a younger brother of Abrar’s had undergone cosmetic surgery to look absolutely identical to Ranvijay. We got to know that Zoya was pregnant, and Abrar’s younger brother was curious to know if it was his baby or Ranvijay’s. This brother was no less than a predator, and the way he massacred Manjot and another guy made his intentions very clear. He would come for Ranvijay in the future, and it would be interesting to see if Ranvijay is able to protect his family and his empire or if this doppelganger replaces him in his own life.
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