Bollywood’s latest blockbuster is the Ranbir Kapoor-led movie Animal and people all over the world are loving it. The film is rated 7 on IMDB by over 46k voters. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 81% Audience Score. Animal is helmed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga who has previously been under scrutiny for touching themes of toxic masculinity in his films. However, the final take of the film is usually positive and his works have been critically acclaimed over the years.
Bollywood is no stranger to remakes and getting away with copies of different films — think of Laal Singh Chaddha which is a remake of Tom Hanks’s Forrest Gump and the more recent Netflix’s The Archies which is also inspired by Riverdale. Even a lot of songs in Bollywood films, and especially those associated with T-Series, have been copied from many junior Indian and Pakistani artists. With that out of the way — let’s find out how exactly the movie Animal draws inspiration from The Legend of Maula Jatt and Kabir Singh.
Animal Is Helmed by the Same Director Who Directed Kabir Singh
Kabir Singh, also directed by Vanga, follows the journey of a young medical student who falls in love with his junior at his medical school. However, the girl’s parents are not in harmony with her wishes and want her to get married to somebody else. This gives rise to an emotionally charged love story between the two as Kabir Singh, the titular character, goes out of his way to try and win her parents but it all messes up when he is unable to control his anger. The girl has to eventually comply with her parent’s wishes and this leaves Kabir a crippling drug addict with a wild, rugged, and rough side of him.
Animal, as evidenced by the name and the film’s trailer — also follows the story of this boy who grows up with daddy issues. Instead of building control over it, his love for his father takes a dramatic turn and he grows up to be a non-stoic, unstable man. There’s a very similar wild side to his character, one that’s reminiscent of Vanga’s previous hit character Kabir Singh (played by Shahid Kapoor).
Ranbir Kapoor’s Look and the Gandasa Culture Portion is Strikingly Similar to Fawad Khan’s Look in The Legend of Maula Jatt
There’s a particular gore-loaded scene in the movie Animal where Ranbir Kapoor is slashing his enemies and is wearing a traditional white Kurta. His weapon of choice is two small axe-like blades known as gandasi (a smaller version of a gandasa in Punjabi terms). At this point, there are two things The Legend of Maula Jatt fans instantly notice — the White Kurta is exactly what Fawad Khan’s (who played Hasan in MCU’s Ms. Marvel) Maula Jatt, the titular character of The Legend of Maula Jatt wears when he goes to confront Noori Natt (played by Hamza Ali Abbasi). On top of this bloody demeanor over a white top, Ranvijay Singh’s beard and hair look exactly like Maula Jatt’s.
The second thing worth noting here is his weapon of choice — which is basically The Legend of Maula Jatt’s villain’s (Noori Natt) weapon of choice (two small axe-like blades). On top of it, the song in the background is also about gandasa/gandasi. While this is a relatively small portion of the film, viewers can’t help but imagine how this scene has a striking resemblance to Bilal Lashari’s film and Nasir Adeeb’s critically acclaimed characters.
Animal is Currently Soaring High at the Worldwide Box Office
Despite everything, the Ranbir Kapoor-led movie Animal continues to soar high at the box office. The film has garnered around $100 million worldwide within 16 days of its release and has broken several records since then — leaving behind Gadar 2’s lifetime haul this week. The film also marks the return of Bobby Deol — a veteran actor who has just had a highly successful film after decades.
So while the film comes inspired by recent blockbuster hits, it certainly has made a good name for itself and it is being loved by fans and critics alike. Its success is not just a triumph for the star-studded cast but also a celebration of storytelling that transcends cultural barriers. With its impressive box office performance in North America, Animal not only marks a milestone in Kapoor’s career but also signifies the growing global appeal of Bollywood films. Once the theatrical run is over, Animal will be available to stream on Netflix. The streaming release date is not yet announced.
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