Success Of Films Like ‘Animal’ Is Dangerous, Says Javed Akhtar; Check His Logic

Mumbai: Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Animal’ did great business and has grossed over Rs 650 crore in India and nearly Rs 900 crore worldwide over seven weeks since its release.

However, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film has had its share of controversy as a section of the audience criticised the content and felt it was extremely violent and bold in parts. The gritty crime thriller was even brought up in Parliament last month.

Now, Javed Akhtar has spoken out on the kind of films and songs being made today without taking names, putting the onus on the audience to decide what they will accept.

“If there’s a film in which a man asks a woman to lick his shoe, if a man says it’s okay to slap a woman… and the film is a super hit, that’s dangerous,” said the eminent screenwriter, lyricist and poet, referring to the scene between Ranbir and Triptii Dimrii’s characters that generated controversy.

The ‘slapping of a woman’ seems to be in reference to Sandeep’s previous film ‘Kabir Singh’, which starred Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani.

Speaking at the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival in Aurangabad, Akhtar drew a parallel with how the controversial lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi for the song ‘Choli ke peeche kya hai’ from ‘Khal Nayak’ became a massive hit in the 1990s.

“People wonder why songs are so problematic today. Take Choli Ke Peeche for example, the issue isn’t the seven men and the two women involved in the song’s making. They’re hardly the problem… The problem is that the audience made this song a massive hit. Crores of people liked the song, that’s scary,” said the 78-year-old Akhtar.

“More than the filmmaker, the onus lies with the audience… You take responsibility for the kind of films you watch. That’s what decides what kind of films will be made. You decide what’s made and what should be rejected. The value and moralities shown in our films lie in your hands,” he opined.