Bobby Deol on Animal’s ‘toxic masculinity’ criticism: ‘Films are influenced by society’

His voice gets emotional even as he talks to us. Bobby Deol is witnessing something not many actors get to see in their lives. For someone who started off as a big star, then witnessed a slump, only to rise again like this, it’s only natural that he is speechless. Animal, his latest release, has left fans asking for more.

“I cannot understand how to process this. As an actor, you are always waiting for that moment when you get recognition, it is like a dream. God has been kind. Hard work turns into luck. I always had self belief, I knew I had so much to give. Thanks to my director Sandeep Reddy Vanga for changing my life,” he gushes.
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A video of him breaking down after exiting a theatre in Mumbai went viral. The 54-year-old says, “Imagine you waited for an opportunity in your life to happen, it’s been long. And you have been working hard too. Anybody in my place would break down. The passion I have for my work, the love I have for my industry… I didn’t know how to control my emotions.”

His character as Abrar is there on screen for only 15 minutes in total, but right from his entry, to the climax, he has garnered massive love. “I was sitting in my house one day, and got a message from Sandeep. I wasn’t sure it was him, so I asked my manager to check. When I called him, he wanted to meet, and then showed me a picture of me from my cricket league days, when I wasn’t working at all. I couldn’t believe that an out of job picture got me work. He is a genius. I knew I only had to shoot for 15 days, and I was mute on top of that!,” he adds.

Animal, apart from collecting a lot of money, has also left the audiences divided. One section has loved it, while the other has been critical of various aspects, one being toxic masculinity. Certain scenes have left viewers shocked. To this, Deol replies, “I am an actor who wants to play characters. I am not out there promoting anything. I do roles which challenge me. What is storytelling? Stories are influenced by what’s happening in our society. It’s just that people don’t want to talk about those things because they want to believe that doesn’t exist. I am just an actor trying to entertain. Box office collections itself says it that people are loving it.”