Javed Akhtar compares people who made Animal to ‘perverts’: ‘Vulgarity has found acceptance in middle class’

In a recent interview, lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar criticised the people who liked Sandeep Reddy Vanga's film Animal.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: November 23, 2024 05:43 PM IST

3 min read

Javed Akhtar criticised the audience for liking Animal (File/Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal drew a lot of criticism from lyric writer Javed Akhtar when it released in 2023. Not just Javed, many others criticised the film for being excessively violent and misogynistic. Javed had previously said that the success of films like Animal was a “dangerous trend” and now

the chatter around it isn’t coming to rest. Despite facing a lot of criticism, the film, starring Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role, emerged to be the biggest hits of 2023. After the film’s release, many people from the industry expressed disappointment in his way of handling themes of feminism and toxic masculinity in the film. Earlier this year, lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar called Animal becoming a super hit, a ‘dangerous’ trend. And now, his statements came to light again in a recent interview with Barkha Dutt’s Mojo Story, where he clarified that he was actually calling out the audience and their choices in today’s world.

Javed was asked about how much the industry has changed in how they show women, with mysoginistic films like Animal coming out successful. He said, “Societies don’t move in a linear manner. So many things keep happening together. However, just like how these are many sub plots in stories, there is also a main theme. We have to see what’s the main theme. All these are sub plots, some are good, some are bad. It’s not like the whole society changes together completely. Some people take very small and hesitant steps, while others move faster. Animal also exists.”

When he was asked why the film succeeded, he said, “The title tells you why. The title is self explanatory.” He then clarified that he did not express his opinion on Animal, but on the audience that appreciated it. “I didn’t express my opinion on Animal, I spoke about the audience that watched it. If 15 people have made a film with the wrong values, if 10-12 people make obscene songs, that’s not the problem. If 15 people are perverts among the 140 crore population, it doesn’t matter. When that thing goes on the market and becomes a superhit, that’s the problem.”

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He also mentioned that vulgarity is being normalised in the society now, something that didn’t exist years ago – “There were vulgar songs in the 1920-30s as well, but they did not find general acceptance in households. Vulgarity wasn’t invented in the last ten years, it has existed since forever. However, there wasn’t an acceptance in the middle class for such vulgarity, which exists now,” he said.

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