Animal vs. Sam Bahadur: A Tale of Two Beasts at the Box Office

Even though he has won numerous battles, is noble Sam Baha-dur able to withstand Animal's unadulterated ferocity? The box office on the first day of release most definitely didn't give India's first field marshal an option. Animal ate everything in its path, resembling a beast let loose. When Vicky Kaushal took over for Sam Manekshaw, the producers kept the budget modest at around Rs 55 crore, making it Ranbir Kapoor's most expensive film to date (not counting Brahmastra). With Animal, the ticket booths went bonkers, taking in more than Rs 40 crore on the first day. With no apparent spike in sales, the audience watched Sam with increased caution. Every aspect of the two movies differed.

SamBahadur was presented to the media on Wednesday afternoon by Meghna Gulzar. On Friday at an unearthly 7am, the restless Animal wanted critics to head to the theaters.

Meghna spent four years researching her biopic and didn't base it on any one book. "We have consulted a number of sources, including written materials and conversations with a number of individuals, particularly the field marshal's daughters and other family members."

Telling Sam's story from start to finish was intimidating. Meghna concurred, saying, "His life is so vast, and accuracy so important."

In contrast, Animal is pure fiction, with the author only needing to consult the deep corners of his own brain and watch a Tarantino movie for additional ideas rather than any precise research.

A beast versus a legend. Real versus made-up. An unbridled human who bludgeons due to father issues versus a gentleman who went to battle but had no bloodlust.

The man behind Animal, Sandeep Vanga Reddy, also made the film Kabir Singh in 2019, which was harshly criticized for its male toxicity and attacked by feminists. However, it was Shahid Kapoor's biggest hit to date, grossing over Rs 370 million in ticket sales and turning heroine Kiara Advani into a celebrity.

"Kabir Singh altered the public's perception of me," Kiara acknowledged, having played Preeti in the film. "I felt reassured and accepted because every producer, director, and individual messaged me.” The critique of misogyny was overpowered by the commerce.

Kiara reasoned, "You have to accept the good and the bad." "I took the criticism with respect. But you can't ignore the affection the movie received. She was blind to Kabir's poisonous nature. "I didn't see characters speaking for society or making a statement; instead, I saw it as the story of two people in love." I thought the story was driven by the characters. Preeti's decision to stay with Kabir after learning she is pregnant struck me as a strength as well.

Unexpectedly, Animal has changed Ranbir Kapoor, the movie's hero. He was always known to be a calm man. There was an unwavering calm about him, whether it was during his sister's wedding, the premiere of his first movie Saawariya, or the high-stakes Brahmastra. With Animal, that has disappeared.

It seems as though he has experienced the high of multi-million dollar stardom, a market expanding into areas where he is hardly recognized, and he is enjoying his introduction to the North-South formula of blockbusters such as Jawan and RRR. He has gone above and beyond his brief as the film's hero by slashing his price, doing theater runs to ensure that the technical quality will give the audience an enhanced cinematic experience, watching the raw footage and ensuring that the excessive length of three hours and twenty-one minutes is justified, and keeping track of show timings that needed to be rescheduled due to the unusual running time.

Sandeep Vanga is an expert at that kind of compulsive animation.

When you bring up the poisoning, veteran actor Suresh Oberoi—who shares a commonality with Kabir Singh and Animal—laughs and says, "You know Vanga." His films portray raw anger rather than nuanced fury. Despite the gratuitous and mindless bloodshed, Ranbir and the team have been influenced by Vanga's tangible animation. But amid all this maniacal energy, save a salute for polite Sam.

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