Javed Akhtar believes success of films like Animal is 'dangerous'

In an apparent swipe at Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, veteran lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar has said that commercial success of films with problematic scenes is a “dangerous” trend.

The 78-year-old screenwriter expressed his concerns about the current state of cinema at the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival in Aurangabad early this week. He, however, did not mention the name of the movie Animal.

“I believe it’s a testing time for the young filmmakers today as to what kind of characters they want to create that the society will applaud. For instance, if there’s a film in which a man asks a woman to lick his shoe or if a man says it’s okay to slap a woman, and if the film is a super duper hit, then that’s very dangerous,” Akhtar said,  referring to the scene between Ranbir and Triptii Dimrii’s characters that generated controversy. 

“Nowadays, I feel that more responsibility is on the audiences than filmmakers. The audiences have to decide what movies they like and what they don’t like. It is entirely up to the audience to decide what to reject. The ball is currently in the audience’s court. Even today, there are as many filmmakers making good movies, but only a few. The fate of cinema depends on how long you stand with them,” Akhtar added.

He also opened up about how despite controversy about the lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi, the song Choli Ke Peeche from Khal Nayak was a massive hit in the '90s. “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,” he said, adding, “The problem is that the audience made this song a massive hit. Crores of people liked the song, that’s scary.”

Despite facing criticism for its glorification of misogyny and violence, Ranbir Kapoor's Animal was a massive blockbuster at the box office earning over Rs 900 crore worldwide. The action drama, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, was released in theatres on December 1 in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. Animal also features Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna, Triptii Dimri, Suresh Oberoi and Prem Chopra.