In the aftermath of Javed Akhtar’s critique of the film ‘Animal,’ the team behind the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer faces backlash for their recent statements. Fans of Javed Akhtar, renowned for his contributions to legendary films like Zanjeer and Sholay, are vehemently defending him and challenging Animal filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga for what they perceive as interference with the veteran writer.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), supporters of Javed Akhtar are showcasing clips of his past work in response to Team Animal’s comments on the movie’s X account.
While not explicitly mentioning ‘Animal,’ Javed Akhtar had recently referred to a controversial scene in the film involving Ranbir Kapoor and Triptii Dimri as an example of the dangerous trend of commercial success associated with problematic scenes.
Twitter Reacts to Animal Team’s Remarks
Roasting Sandeep Reddy Vanga, a fan shared a clip of Shah Rukh Khan’s song ‘Dastaan – E – Om Shanti Om’ from ‘Om Shanti Om (2007),’ stating, “Any song written by Javed Akhtar >>> Vanga’s complete filmography, this one is just an example…” Another user shared a clip of Shah Rukh Khan with Gayatri Joshi in the song ‘Pal Pal Hai Bhaari’ from ‘Swades,’ stating, “Javed Akhtar’s all art form is big FALSE. Meanwhile his art form…”
Sharing a clip of Amitabh Bachchan from the 1975 film ‘Deewaar,’ a fan wrote, “Vanga just called Javed Akhtar ‘big false.’ Years before Vanga’s birth Salim-Javed were defining ‘alpha,’ ‘mass’ for the social media age.” A Twitter user also commented, “Thinking more of this dumbshit mess with the incel king and Javed Akhtar, Deewaar was about a hyper-masculine antihero, who loved women and treated them respectfully, including a woman considered tainted by society. He didn’t need to ask her to lick his shoe to prop up his masculinity.”
Team Animal’s Earlier Statement
Earlier on Sunday, the Animal team on X tagged Javed Akhtar, stating, “Writer of your calibre cannot understand the betrayal of a lover (Between Zoya and Ranvijay) then all your art form is big FALSE and if a woman (betrayed and fooled by a man in the name of love) would have said ‘lick my shoe’ then you guys would have celebrated it by calling it feminism. Let love be free from the politics of gender. Let’s just call them lovers. LOVER cheated and lied. LOVER said lick my shoe. Period.”
Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, ‘Animal’ starring Ranbir Kapoor has faced criticism for its portrayal of toxic relationships, misogyny, and violence, despite being one of the top Indian Hindi films of 2023, grossing over ₹900 crore worldwide. Javed Akhtar, at a film festival in Aurangabad, expressed concern over the success of such films.
