When I watched the movie Animal, my mind was full of questions and, more than anything, shock. The unnecessary gore violence, sexist dialogues, romanticisation of patriarchy and of course the undermining of the "non-alpha feminist" men were all that the movie had. And then, I came across an interview where the actors of the movie defended its sexism as romance.
In a recent interview, Bobby Deol, Ranbir Kapoor and Anil Kapoor got together to explain why Animal was a blockbuster. They justified the content of the movie and expressed their experience while filming it. The most problematic justification was given by Deol for his character Abrar. Deol said that Abrar was a romantic man as he had three wives.
His statement gave me chills because Abrar's character stayed with me even after the movie as a haunting memory. Abrar is not only impulsive and violent but also a patriarch who objectifies women.
Why is Abrar not romantic?
If you have watched the movie, you must have seen the scene where Abrar rapes his third wife. Soon after receiving the news of the death of his brother, Abrar runs towards his bride and enforces himself on her while the entire family is in the room. He forcibly kisses her and unbuttons his pants. The next we see is the bride wrapped in a blanket and her face covered with blood.
Which definition of romance says that a man can enforce himself on a woman? How can it be love or romance if a man indulges in sex right after being angered by his brother's death? Does it not seem as if Abrar used his wife as an object to release his anger?
This is not it. In the next scene, Abrar calls his other two wives too inside the same room where the third wife is lying naked. He forcibly tears the clothes of one of the wives and even slaps the other who tries to calm him down. What happens next is not known as these are the only scenes that "romantic" Abrar shares with his wives.
Normalising marital rape
In our country, marital rape is still not a crime. Several hearings have been done on this issue but still, our legal system is not ready to openly admit that consent of the spouse is also necessary. Rather, many judgements have been made that say that it is cruelty if a wife denies sex.
It is this mentality that has crafted Abrar's character too. Abrar thinks that since he has married a woman, he can have sex with her anywhere and in whichever way he wants. He is not seen even once asking for the consent of his wife who clearly seems shocked and violated. What is even more disturbing is the way everyone in the room silently walks away when Abrar enforces himself on his bride. Of course, the "pati patni ka mamla hai" mentality was at work here.
Deol's statement of justifying his character as romantic is a new level of irresponsible behaviour of the celebrities. Remember when Sandeep Reddy Vanga justified the physical abuse of a woman in his movie Kabir Singh by saying that if a man cannot slap his woman in public, then there is no love? Abrar has been crafted by the same creator.
Dear filmmakers, stop serving toxicity
The movie was a blockbuster despite these objectionable scenes. In the interview, Ranbir Kapoor said that Animal started a healthy conversation about toxic masculinity. He also added that every character met their ends as per their behaviours. Kapoor believes that it is the responsibility of the audience to separate the right from the wrong. That if movies stop depictive negative sides, the conversation and improvement will never start.
But unfortunately, we don't see that happening. If moviemakers really want the audience to clear their mind of toxicity, it is time now that they stop serving it on a platter. It is time they produce content that is progressive and talks about equality. If you keep glamorising and romanticising toxicity while downplaying rationality, how will the audience change?
Views expressed are the author's own.
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