Bobby Deol whose villainy in Sandeep Vanga Reddy’s Animal was one of the talking points in 2023, is dazed by the praise he is getting. “I can’t understand what is happening right now. I go out, people come running to take pictures. One guy just stopped to bless me..The amount of love…Oh my God!”
But then there are those who think the film is toxic and misogynistic.
Bobby is reluctant to address the naysayers. “Look, I am an actor,not an activist.What gives every actor joy is to play different characters. I am not here to promote any ideology.”
Having said this Bobby feels Animal is showing only what is the reality of our societal spectrum. “Stories in films are written as a reflection of what’s happening in our society. They are not conjured out of thin air. Whatever is happening in society is reflected in our cinema. People don’t want to believe what is the truth.”
Significantly Bobby recalls an earlier controversy in his career. “When I did Ashram also there was a lot of controversy . But my character was based on a real person. Why do people connect with such characters? Because they exist in our society. Good and evil have to co-exist.Beyond that I don’t want to get into this discussion. I just want to play characters who challenge me.”
