The Unpredictable Journey of Animal: A Tale of Love, Revenge, and Transformation”
I couldn’t fathom why I decided to watch “Animal.” I had my reservations; it seemed like a dark and violent film, full of misogynists and hot-headed men. The relentless bloodshed and unrestrained violence left me contemplating if it marked the beginning or end of civilization. But something was intriguing about it, an imbalance that kept me glued for three and a half hours!
Let me sum it up for you in two sentences: Vijay deeply loves his father, yet their relationship is anything but simple. The movie delves into this intricate bond and thrusts Vijay into murky waters, akin to the legendary “Godfather” from 1972, where Vito Corleone and his son Fredo Corleone’s relationship unravelled in “The Godfather Part II.”
“Animal” is a departure from the conventional storytelling style. Director Sandip Reddy employs the classic Hague-Vogler framework to narrate this captivating tale. Allow me to take you through the eleven stages of the movie, guided by this framework.
1. Ordinary World: Meet Vijay and Balbir, scions of an affluent family. Balbir is consumed by his factory, leaving little time for his family.
2. Call to Adventure: Balbir sustains a bullet wound while Vijay is away in the USA with his family.
3. Refusal to the Call: Vijay returns, shocked, and unravels the details.
4. Meeting the Mentor: Vijay’s uncle unveils a family feud and ignites Vijay’s thirst for revenge. He grapples with the moral dilemma of right and wrong.
5. Crossing the Threshold: Returning home with his father in the hospital, Vijay allies with his cousins in Punjab and assembles a hitman team. He eliminates his brother-in-law, a potential threat to the dynasty.
6. Test Allies and Enemies: Vijay identifies and eliminates the critical culprit, a scene marked by gory encounters.
7. Approach: Vijay crafts a doppelgänger of his father and continues to test the enemy with more brutal killings. His thirst for vengeance becomes insatiable.
8. Reaction: Vijay transforms. He grows a wild beard, puts on a lot of weight and becomes indifferent to his family’s pleas. His ‘id’ has taken over. He has become rough and wants to avenge his father’s bullet at any cost. His family members see him roaming around nude in the garden.
9. Road Back: Vijay discovers that his cousin in Scotland played a pivotal role in the murder attempt. He relentlessly pursues Abrar, his cousin, who is as ruthless as they come, with a harem and no respect for his wives.
10. Resurrection: A climactic showdown ensues. Vijay confronts his deepest fears and sacrifices everything. He kills Abrar at the airfield, ending his reign of terror with a gruesome act.
11. Return with Elixir: Vijay returns, bloodied and holding a curved knife — the symbol of his vengeance. His father is stunned by the outcome and directs his anger at his wife for nurturing a criminal. Chaos reigns in the household.
Vijay’s inner journey transforms from a protector to a courageous avenger, from fear to courage, from entangled to evolved, from being defined by others to describing himself as an animal and a criminal. The internal conflicts and obstacles he faces are nothing short of astonishing. His wife’s haunting words linger: “Our lives would have been different if Balbir had died from that gunshot.”
My recommendation? An intriguing journey awaits you in “Animal.” The question is, are you curious enough to embark on this unpredictable odyssey?
