'Rocky Aur Rani...' Fame Tota Roy Chowdhury Defends Animal, Lauds Ranbir Kapoor: 'I Support the Film'

Ranbir Kapoor’s recently released film Animal has been quite the talk of the town ever since it hit the big screens. While the film made massive numbers at the box office, it received polarizing reviews. While many have called the film out for ‘glorifying toxic masculinity’ yet again after Kabir Singh, a huge section of the audience has also praised Ranbir Kapoor for his performance. Now, actor Tota Roy Chowdhury recently put forward his opinion and stated that he’supports’ the Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial.

While speaking about Animal’s success and criticism, Tota told DNA, “As a viewer, when I go to watch a film, I say, ‘I’ve liked it or I have not liked it’. I have never said, ‘Yeh karna chahiye. Yeh, hona chahiye. Yeh sahi aur yeh galat’. I’m not saying that. Who am I to speak on behalf of others? And certainly, who am I to tell others how to make a film and what to make as a film? That’s dictatorial. This isn’t the right way. I can convey my views in a very civil way. But I can’t tell a filmmaker, ‘aapne galat kiya hai’. This is not what it should be. ” 

Tota shared that there were some scenes and portions that he didn’t agree with, however, there were moments from the film that ‘shook’ him since they ‘were brilliantly put across’. He added, “The actors have done a brilliant job. Overall, I can understand why it has done such kind of business.”  

Speaking about the box office numbers, the Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani actor added, “If a movie does such kind of numbers, then it is certain that a huge audience has watched the film. It has struck a cord, and that should also be appreciated. While we are dissing the film and criticising it, this fact of a movie bringing such numbers should also be appreciated.”  

On a closing note, the actor said as a member of the creative fraternity, he supports the film. “Many people have problems with the subject and depiction of women. I can understand that. But we can have civil debate about it. What we can’t or shouldn’t say is how a filmmaker should approach his film. Now that’s dictatorial. As a member of the creative fraternity, I support the film, because, tomorrow, somebody will tell me, ‘Nahi Rocky aur Rani toh aisi banni chahiye thi.’ That’s not the way.”

He concluded by saying, “A lot of things have been said about Animal. Some good, some very bad. But my thought about this is a film is the director’s prerogative and nobody else’s.”