Ranbir on criticism for doing 'Sanju', 'Animal': Important to dabble in different genres, characters

Panaji: Ranbir Kapoor says while artists should be responsible for the kind of stories they pursue, he also believes in trying his at at new genres.

During an in-conversation session with director Rahul Rawail at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of Raj Kapoor on Sunday, an audience member asked Ranbir about allegedly glorifying violence through films like “Animal” and “Sanju”.

In a measured response, the actor said he agrees with the opinion that it is “our responsibility to come with movies which bring a positive change to the society”.

“But having said that, I’m an actor, it’s very important that I also dabble in different genres and characters. But what you’re saying is absolutely correct. We have to be more responsible towards the kind of films we make,” Ranbir said.

“Animal”, an action drama directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, was one of the highest earning Hindi films of 2023 despite being criticised for its poor portrayal of women, misogyny and graphic violence. It also featured Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Triptii Dimri.

“Sanju” was a biographical film about Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt. The Rajkumar Hirani-directed film featured Ranbir as Dutt and detailed the actor’s addiction to alcohol and drugs, his alleged affairs and also his conviction in a terror case.

But many critics called it “misleading”, with some even labelling it a “hagiography” that whitewashes Dutt.