"if you enjoyed it, just leave it.”
Rashmika Mandanna has defended Animal from the criticism that it promotes misogyny.
Since the film’s release in December 2023, Animal has polarised viewers.
While some praised the acting performances, others claimed it portrayed female characters in a poor light.
Lead actress Rashmika Mandanna has now addressed the criticism.
On Neha Dhupia’s No Filter Neha podcast, Rashmika stated that Animal was “just about a character” who is “messed in the head”.
She said: “He’s messed in the head and will go to any lengths for his father, that was engraved in my mind when I shot for the film.
“Nobody can do anything about it, it’s his story.
“If you want films to be raw, real and correct, Animal is that.
“After watching it, to say it’s misogynistic or whatever… if you enjoyed it, just leave it.”
But the scene that made Rashmika question reality is the scene where she confronts Ranbir Kapoor’s character during Karva Chauth.
Discussing being trolled over the scene, Rashmika said:
“I don’t like people trolling women about their bodies, if they’re trolling about my dialogue or whatever, I’m okay.
“Everyone loved the Karva Chauth scene on set, but then the trailer came out and I was trolled for it.
“In my head, I had nailed this nine-minute-long scene. Am I living in a bubble?
“I know everything I do isn’t cool, but I didn’t understand this.
“However, when the majority of the audience liked my performance in the scene when the film released, my gut was right.”
Rashmika also shared the most annoying thing about working with Ranbir, revealing that his calm nature bothered her.
Describing Ranbir as remarkably calm, Rashmika highlighted that his demeanour was devoid of distractions, calling him a “full Zen” individual.
She recalled an instance where she asked him about his thoughts, only to receive the response, “nothing”.
Rashmika elaborated: “The man doesn’t have anything going on in his head. He is so peaceful.
“When asked, ‘What are you thinking about?’ Nothing.”
“One should think about something, right? He is full Zen. This is of course my perspective. It’s a blessing, honestly, because as actors, we are always overdriven by everything.”
Rashmika Mandanna praised the dynamics between Ranbir and Sandeep Vanga Reddy.
“I knew the two were creating a madness.
“Every time they were sitting and talking, I was like ‘Do you boys realise what you guys are creating?’
“Somewhere, I think, I saw it. But I can’t say I predicted it. I just had confidence in them. I was like ‘You guys are going to nail it man. You have nothing to worry about’.”
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