Animal actor Mansi Taxak opens up about lack of consent in post-credits scene, distances herself from film’s gender politics: ‘Growing up in Haryana…’

Animal actor Mansi Taxak said that she doesn't support the film's gender politics, as she addressed the controversial shoe licking scene, and the lack of consent observed in the film's post-credits scene with Ranbir Kapoor.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | December 20, 2023 10:25 PM IST

4 min read

Mansi Taxak and Bobby Deol in a still from Animal.

Actor Mansi Taxak, who plays the youngest wife of Bobby Deol’s character, Abrar, in the blockbuster film Animal, said that she doesn’t agree with some of the film’s more controversial scenes, but as an actor, she can’t judge her character for being a pushover. In Animal, Mansi’s character is sexually violated by Abrar, and later, threatened at gunpoint by the film’s protagonist Ranvijay, played by Ranbir Kapoor.

As someone who has seen patriarchy up close while growing up in Haryana, Mansi said that she understands where certain characters are coming from, but she has no choice but to separate her personal beliefs from what she is required to do on screen. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Mansi also spoke about the film’s post-credits scene, in which her slain husband’s brother Aziz, who now looks like Ranvijay after plastic surgery, declares her as his new wife.

Also read – Bobby Deol’s character in Animal is a Muslim because ‘we see people convert to Islam, but nobody converts to Hinduism’: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

When it was mentioned that the character didn’t exactly ask for consent, Mansi said with a laugh, “Yes, I feel the same. In a way, he was threatening me while asking for my consent. It’s very difficult to turn someone like Aziz down, especially if you see the mood he’s in. He’s just killed someone, and he’s holding a knife. Forget my character, even I would have said yes in that moment. But given the character dynamics, for sure, Aziz is a strong-headed person, but he has certain lines that he maintains. It was a threat, yes, but he was also asking me, and he got the answer he wanted.”

Speaking about the controversial scene in which Ranvijay asks Triptii Dimri’s character Zoya to prove her allegiance to him by licking his shoe, Mansi said that were she in that position, she would’ve walked out. But because Zoya had her own reasons, she chose to stay. “I don’t support this, because I’m a very opinionated person. But as actors, we can’t judge characters. As Triptii also said, she wouldn’t have behaved in the same way as Zoya, but that’s the kind of person Zoya is. Similarly, I wouldn’t behave like my character, who has fully submitted.” In a recent interview with Galatta Plus, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga dismissed allegations of misogyny, and said that the shoe licking scene never happened, because Ranvijay doesn’t go through with it. “It was a test,” he said.

Mansi looked back at the experiences that have defined her, and said, “I don’t support toxic masculinity. Growing up in Haryana, I saw how patriarchy can affect women. Toxicity in any form isn’t something you should have in you as a person… Things have changed now, but 10 years ago, if I’d done a movie like Animal, I would’ve attracted a lot of backlash from my community. I’ve seen it all. Women are suppressed in society, and there’s a lot of work left to do to get them on an equal footing with men. Equality is a basic right.”

Despite the controversy, Animal has emerged as a massive box office hit. The film has grossed nearly Rs 850 crore worldwide, and is the biggest A-rated movie in history. It is also Ranbir’s biggest hit, and the second blockbuster that Mansi has been a part of this year; she was also seen briefly in Pathaan, as the wife of John Abraham’s character.

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