Renowned screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar has addressed the recent controversy surrounding filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s reaction to his subtle critique of Vanga’s latest film, Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor. In a recent interview, Javed clarified that while Sandeep has the creative freedom to produce as many films as he desires, it remains a fact that the director hasn’t found any fault in Javed’s extensive 53-year-long filmography.
The veteran lyricist said, “I wasn’t criticizing the filmmaker. In a democratic society, he has every right to create one Animal or multiple Animals. My concern lies with the audience, not the filmmaker. He has the liberty to create any film.” He further explained that he hasn’t watched the film but has only heard about it. He expressed his acceptance of Sandeep’s portrayal of certain characters, acknowledging that it falls within his constitutional rights. However, he emphasized his worry about the millions of people who celebrated the film.
After Sandeep challenged Javed for addressing misogyny in his film but not raising similar concerns about the series Mirzapur, produced by Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment, Javed responded, “When he responded to me, I felt honoured. In my 53-year-long career, he couldn’t find any film, script, scene, dialogue, or song to critique. Therefore, he resorted to looking into my son’s office and found a TV series, which wasn’t acted, directed, or written by Farhan. Although his company produced it, these days, large companies like Excel are involved in producing various projects. He mentioned that. It truly flattered me. In 53 years of my career, you couldn’t find anything sexist? What a disgrace.”
The controversy ignited when Javed remarked at an event about the shoe-licking scene between Ranbir and Triptii Dimri’s characters in Animal, expressing concerns about the type of characters young filmmakers choose to portray and the societal response.
