After Zoya Riaz, portrayed by Tripti Dimri, is discovered to be a mole, Ranbir Kapoor’s character Vijay Singh asks her to lick his shoe in what is being called “the most problematic” moment from Animal. Tripti has now addressed the controversy pertaining to the particular scene.
“It reminded me of what my acting coach had told me, the golden rule: Never judge your character,” Tripti told in an interview. “The characters you are playing, the character your c0-actor is playing, all are human and humans have good and bad side. An actor must be prepared to play characters across the spectrum of good, bad and ugly, but if you judge a character’s motivations, thoughts, you won’t be able to play it with honesty. So that’s what I kept in mind.”
She continued, “I also thought that here was a woman who talks about killing his wife, father, kids, the entire family… If someone tells me that, I will perhaps beat that person! Here, he does ask her to do that (lick his shoe) but also walks away later. He clearly is going through a lot of these (intense thoughts). Later when his cousins asks her what they should do with me, he says ‘Let her go wherever she wants to.’”
Animal, starring Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, and Ranbir Kapoor, has a number of scenes that have drawn a lot of criticism on social media. Many are arguing vehemently against almost every aspect of the film and calling it “sexist,” particularly in regards to how women are portrayed.
