Ranbir Kapoor’s character in Animal is being widely compared to Karanvir Bohra’s character of Viraj Dobriyal from 2011 drama Saubhagyavati Bhava. Memes of the same have also been going viral on social media. “It’s overwhelming to see how people still love that character so much and are creating these funny memes out of it,” he tells us.
While there is a section criticising glorification of such toxic, alpha-male characters, box office numbers show that the film is being watched and appreciated widely. Bohra says, it’s because it shows the reality of the world. “10 years ago, our channel wanted to know why a character like Viraj’s was doing so well and they found that that people like watching such characters as they are taken from real life,” he shares adding, “We need to accept that life is not all roses and fairytales. And through movies and shows, we are just sharing stories of the real world and not propagating the message of domestic violence. There is a difference between sharing stories and propagating agendas.”
To those who feel that it’s normalising the toxic behaviour, Bohra says, “People who are criticizing it are denying the truth. Moreover, when it comes to showing such stories, I don’t think there is anything wrong or right. When it comes to cinema and making art, one may hold a certain perception and may choose to show a story according to that. Others may not agree with it but that does not mean it’s wrong. I am okay with showing misogynistic characters but I am not okay with skin show. However, it’s my personal opinion. You cannot curb creativity. It’s all fictional but it’s all taken from real life. “
Bohra asserts that idea is not to give out wrong message and influence people to behave like those characters. “And even if people take the wrong message from it, I think women today have become very smart to not become a victim of misogyny.”
In fact, he points out how such movies are important as they help in voicing the issues of the society and show the repercussions of any wrong action. “Rashmika Mandanna’s character takes the right step when her husband cheats. She tells the women what to do when something like this happens. I agree that the film shows the reality that not everybody would stick to the concept of monogamy, but it also shows and if they do something like this, they will have to deal with the repercussions of it.”
Giving example of his own shows and how it had several positive impacts on the audience, he says, “We created a lot of awareness and didn’t leave it in limbo. I used to go to a city every month to have talks about domestic violence. We took the responsibility of making people aware that they should not continue to endure it. So many people would come out and tell us that they are going through something similar.”
“So all these films and shows are doing is entertain people and raise awareness and hence should be consumed like that,” he ends