National Award-winning lyricist and screenwriter Swanand Kirkire is not here to sugarcoat, and in a recent appearance on ‘The Lallantop’ podcast, the writer of soulful lyrics and progressive stories took aim at ‘Animal’, the action-drama directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga.

His gripe? The film’s celebration of toxic masculinity and its muddled take on poetry.

Advertisement

Swanand Kirkire, known for penning heartfelt tracks and screenplays that explore the human condition, was visibly disturbed by how ‘Animal’ has been received.

“It’s not that the film was made—filmmakers have every right to tell the stories they want. But what worries me is the thunderous applause it got,” he said.

For Kirkire, cinema has always been a teacher, especially for men trying to unlearn regressive gender roles.

He cited classics like ‘Aurat’, ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’, ‘Queen’, and ‘Piku’—films that offered nuanced portrayals of women and encouraged viewers to see the world through a lens of empathy.

“Hindi cinema helped people like me, coming from Indore and similar backgrounds, understand gender equality,” he explained.

And then came ‘Animal’. “Suddenly, we’re cheering for a version of masculinity that is violent, insecure, and possessive. And somehow, we’ve made that look cool.”

Also Read: Pope Francis documentaries and films you can’t miss: Discover his untold story

He recalled a moment that made him reflect even more deeply—meeting a young woman shortly after the film’s release. “She told me she had seen ‘Animal’ twice, and said, ‘Bobby Deol is so hot.’ That sentence stayed with me. It’s not just about aesthetics—it’s about what we’re normalising.”

But Kirkire didn’t stop at masculinity. He also took issue with how the film portrayed poetry, a craft he has dedicated his life to. In a particular dialogue, Ranbir Kapoor’s character mocks poets, suggesting they’re just men who failed to be ‘alpha’.

“Poetry was reduced to a sign of weakness,” said Kirkire. “But in the very next scene, it’s the poetry and the soundtrack that elevate the film’s violent sequences. You can’t dismiss poetry in your dialogues and then rely on it for cinematic impact.”

This isn’t the first time Swanand Kirkire has publicly critiqued the film. He had earlier expressed his displeasure on Twitter, which led to a pointed response from director Sandeep Reddy Vanga. Kirkire, however, remains unfazed. “If he gets angry again, so be it. I’ve said what I needed to say.”