Taapsee Pannu says she would have agreed to star in Animal ‘on paper’.
Taapsee Pannu expressed discomfort over the audience’s reaction to Animal scenes and even admitted to saying yes to the film on paper.
The influence of films on audiences and the moral responsibilities of actors and filmmakers have been longstanding topics of discussion. This debate intensified following the release of director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s “Animal” last December, which faced criticism for allegedly glorifying misogyny and violence. In a recent edition of Expresso, Taapsee Pannu was asked whether she would have agreed to star in a film like ‘Animal.’ Her response was direct: “On paper, yes.”
She elaborated, “If I would have read the script of Animal, I would have been equally excited as Ranbir Kapoor… But, the difference is… when you read a script and when you see what you see, it is the director’s medium. When I am reading a script, I don’t know which shot he is putting low angle and high BGM on… I can’t see that through script. It is only the director who can communicate that with the shot-taking and with the post-production. You conceive a certain scene and shot. Heroism, or how you celebrate (a character, depends on how the scene is shot), it will not be on paper.”
Using her role in the film ‘Badla’ as an example, Taapsee explained that she was fully aware of the character she was signing up for—a thoroughly dark character who would receive no redemption. “Nowhere in the entire film you will see them celebrating my darkness,” she noted. She went on to emphasize, “Now, that’s where director’s politics comes in. That’s why it is a director’s medium which no actor can read when they are reading the script.”
Reaffirming that she would have agreed to ‘Animal’ based on the script, Taapsee commented, “It was a little strange to hear cheers and whistles at certain moments and points where I wouldn’t have liked the BGM to grow like that, where the audience is forced to cheer, clap and whistle at certain moments. That’s the issue.”
In a star-studded cast including Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, and Triptii Dimri, ‘Animal,’ under the direction of Sandeep Reddy Vanga, raked in a staggering Rs 900 crore worldwide. However, the film faced significant criticism for its portrayal of misogyny and violence, sparking a heated debate amongst viewers and critics alike.
