Ram Gopal Varma aka RGV known for his pathbreaking cinema, recently shared his admiration for Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal. At the Cinematica Expo 2024 in Hyderabad, the two filmmakers came together for a panel titled Animal vs Wild Animal, where RGV opened up about how the film left an indelible mark on him. Calling Vanga the “new age Ram Gopal Varma,” the Satya director lauded the bold storytelling and raw intensity in Animal.
‘I Got Up And Clapped When Ranbir Got That Machine Gun!’ – RGV
Ram Gopal Varma revealed that watching Animal was the first time in 20 years he felt compelled to get up and clap in a theatre. Describing the iconic scene where Ranbir Kapoor’s character picks up a machine gun, the Satya director said, “I felt like a mass audience sitting in the front.”
He further emphasized that the scene worked so well because of the weapon’s roaring significance. “If it was a rifle it wouldn’t have worked, if it was a hockey stick it wouldn’t have worked but only a machine gun said it all!,” he added.
Further talking about how people reacted to the scene in theatres, he added, “So you don’t know whether to laugh, but everybody laughed. not because of the humour, the excitement of that particular thing of just the way it entered, even if the scene started with a full figure of him carrying a the gun also it would’ve worked, though the content will remain the same.”
RGV spoke at length about the emotional underpinnings of the violence in Animal. He explained that the connection between the characters made the action sequences more intense. “It was more impactful than seeing armies fighting each other. In fact, I remember narrating Shiva to Nagarjuna when he was shooting for Agni Putrudu. I told him that the violence in Shiva would be more gritty than bombs being burst, and knives being slashed. For instance, the scene with Naresh coming from the theatre in the darkness, and when he is hit from behind, the cold-bloodedness of the hit is even more effective,” said RGV, adding, “I felt the same thing with Ranbir’s scenes in Animal, especially the low angle shot. It haunts me even now.”
During the conversation, lauding his filmmaking style pushing boundaries, RGV referred himself to Sandeep Reddy Vanga as the “new age Ram Gopal Varma”. With just two films, Arjun Reddy and Animal, Vanga has created a massive impact, setting high expectations for his next project, Spirit, starring Prabhas.
Both filmmakers are known for redefining Indian cinema through raw, gritty narratives. RGV’s films like Shiva, Satya and Company broke conventions, much like how Vanga has made with just two films Arjun Reddy and Animal carved his own niche.
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