'Animal' teaser sees a menacing Ranbir Kapoor with daddy issues

Will 'Animal' be yet another 'Kabir Singh?'

The official teaser for Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol is out. Written, directed, and edited by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the mind that gave the world the emblem of toxic masculinity that was Kabir Singh, the showrunner seems to have doubled down on the darkness he wishes to portray on-screen.

The teaser starts with Ranbir's character conversing about wanting to be a father. When asked by his partner if he'd be anything like his own father, he claims his father was the absolute best. This is juxtaposed with a younger Ranbir being slapped relentlessly by Anil. The undoubtedly rocky relationship shared between the father-son duo is set up to become a catalyst for the eventual, titular animal that Ranbir's character will become.

The audience is made aware of the fact that Ranbir's character is well-off, and has a "criminal" streak in him, alongside deep-seated resentment for his father. It is, of course, more complex than a classic case of daddy issues, but signs of the same, fuelled by denial or repression, are in place. In a manner that has come to be Sandeep's modus operandi, the showrunner creates an anti-hero - a wild - well - animal, that cannot be tamed, has unlimited resources and power, and a burning sense of hatred brimming just underneath the surface.

Many aspects of the teaser are reminiscent of Sandeep's Kabir Singh. For one thing, in the brief interaction shown between Ranbir's character and his partner, he is dominating, dismissive, and physically threatening. He does not choose violence in the teaser, but his stance is not a peaceful one, as he raises his finger and addresses his partner, demanding she never ask about his father.

Ranbir's mannerisms are a throwback to Kabir Singh as well, albeit with his own touch. In many ways, his appearance and aggression take one back to his portrayal of the dishevelled Jordan in Rockstar. There is something raw and hypermasculine about the star in the teaser - a commanding presence, powered by a definitive sense of direction. The first look sets the character up to be a pained man with maniacal vengeance on his mind; a captive of his own anger who cannot address the root cause and must, thus, be a foreboding menace.

One also cannot skip over the fact that Bobby, making a brief appearance at the end of the teaser, seems to have put in the work physically. A man who has been seen in a plethora of projects, Bobby truly is one of the more slept-on talents in Bollywood, and seeing him slip into a rugged, strappy avatar is a pleasant and welcome surprise.

All in all, one can assume that the entire ordeal will be an action-packed treat for fans of Kabir Singh. While many may decide to set up Ranbir's character as their next emblem of heroism, it is, pertinent to remember that a character can be visually commanding and excellently portrayed while still being problematic. While it will be interesting to eventually watch Ranbir become the animal that is promised, it will also be intriguing to see how audiences react to the character, especially after Kabir Singh stirred up quite a debate.

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