Malayalam star Unni Mukundan defends Sandeep Vanga Reddy, Animal - 'View cinema as cinema'

Director Sandeep Vanga Reddy's Animal has become one of the most controversial films in the history of Indian cinema. Even after several weeks since its release, the film continues to dominate the pop cultural discourse in the country.

Amid the raging debate, Malayalam star Unni Mukundan came in the defence of Animal and Sandeep Vanga Reddy. While expressing his desire to collaborate with Sandeep in the future, Mukundan praised the filmmaker for bringing a fresh perspective to familiar tropes. He cited the example of Sandeep's creative decision to use an independent music band version of songs from director Mani Ratnam's classic Roja.

Unni Mukundan praises Animal, Sandeep Vanga Reddy

Mukundan also commended the director for allowing every character in the movie to shine on the screen, regardless of the length of their runtime. "Take, for instance, one of my favourite actors, Bobby Deol. Despite having limited screen time, the impact he made is significant. The way the music, editing, and character development have been handled, we get to see a fresh and different Ranbir Kapoor," Mukundan told Times of India.

ALSO READ: Amid Sandeep Reddy Vanga's criticism, Parvathy shares a cryptic post - 'Don't Tell Me What to Do'

He also aligned his perspective with Sandeep's while defending Animal. Mukundan said, "I view cinema simply as cinema. I don't aim to educate myself through cinema."

The Animal impact on audience

Critics of Animal have mainly accused the movie and Sandeep of glorifying negative traits and misrepresenting the features of heroism. Many have expressed concerns about the movie's impact on impressionable minds. While some argue that the medium of cinema has transformative power, others, like Mukundan, claim it is just a rich form of entertainment.

ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut takes jibe at Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s wish to work with her, says ‘No otherwise your alpha male...’

Following the OTT release of Animal last month, the debate about the film's merits and demerits has gained a lot of traction. Sandeep continues to strongly defend the movie by seemingly waging a no-holds-barred counterattack against the movie's critics. Recently, he made a series of disparaging comments against Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Javed Akhtar, and Parvathy Thiruvothu. 

Watch Tejas, Expendables 4, Australian Open, Cubicles 3, and more on OTTplay, by subscribing to the Jhakaas monthly pack, which provides access to 22 OTTs at just ₹49 for the first month.