Animal

The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Tripti Dimri. In the film, Ranvijay Singh learns about an assassination attempt on his father and sets out on a path of vengeance and destruction.

The film was officially announced in January 2021. Principal photography began in April 2022 and wrapped by April 2023, with cinematography by Amit Roy. The film’s soundtrack album was composed by Pritam, JAM8, Vishal Mishra, Jaani, Manan Bhardwaj, Shreyas Puranik, Ashim Kemson and Harshavardhan Rameshwar. With a runtime of 201 minutes, Animal is one of the longest Indian films ever made. It was initially set for an August 2023 release but was postponed due to post-production work.

Animal was theatrically released on 1 December 2023, in standard and IMAX formats. It received mixed reviews from critics with praise for its acting, technical aspects, and soundtrack, but criticism for the film’s runtime, graphic violence, and screenplay. Several commentators also accused the makers of glorifying toxic masculinity and misogyny. The film broke several box office records for a Hindi film, both domestically and internationally. It has grossed ₹917.82 crore (US$110 million) worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, the fifth highest-grossing Hindi film, the eighth highest-grossing Indian film, the highest-grossing A-rated Indian film, and the highest-grossing film of Ranbir Kapoor’s career. At the 69th Filmfare Awards, the film received 19 nominations and won a leading six awards, including Best Actor for Ranbir Kapoor.

Despite Balbir being a strict father, Vijay’s love for his father is deep and abiding. Balbir doesn’t know about his son’s devotion for him due to his busy schedule, which also keeps him from spending time with his family.

One day, Balbir expels Vijay to a boarding school in the USA when Vijay threatens the bullies of his elder sister Reet with an AK-47. Vijay finishes his education and returns home after several years. During Balbir’s birthday party, Vijay gets into an argument with his brother-in-law Varun, prompting Balbir to expel him from the house again. Vijay marries his childhood girlfriend Geetanjali from a Telugu family and the couple cuts ties with their families and moves to the USA. Eight years later, Vijay, Geetanjali and their two kids return to India upon learning that Balbir was victim to an assassination attempt. After meeting his father, Vijay reconciles with his family and takes it upon himself to uncover the assassin’s identity. He rounds up his second cousins from the village for backup and recruits a body double for his father, who is eventually killed by a gangster named Asrar Haque. Vijay discovers Varun’s role in the assassination attempt and kills him publicly at a conference with his cousins, where Asrar is also present.

Vijay and his cousins meet Freddy, an arms dealer at a hotel where Asrar arrives with his assailants to kill Vijay. Vijay takes them all down with a machine gun and kills Asrar, but gets severely wounded and becomes bedridden with a damaged sense of hearing. He wakes up after two weeks and undergoes a heart transplant for his failing heart. Meanwhile, in Scotland, Asrar’s brother Abrar Haque learns of his death during Abrar’s third wedding and kills one of his men publicly at the wedding. Abrar and his other brother Abid go to a house where they shoot the man who was keeping tabs on Asrar revealing Abrar was the one who planned the assassination attempt on Balbir. Vijay recuperates after several months and is approached by Zoya, the fiancée of his heart donor. Vijay starts an extramarital affair with Zoya, who eventually reveals that she was sent by Abrar to honey trap him, so that one of his brothers who transformed himself into another Vijay, would kill his family, but Vijay reveals that he had already knew this and played along to learn the mastermind’s identity.

Vijay learns from his grandfather Rajdheer Singh that Abrar and his brothers are Vijay’s second cousins. They are the grandchildren of Shamsher Singh, Rajdheer’s younger brother. Rajdheer had renounced Shamsher for his immoral antics. Shamsher’s son Azim, who had converted to Islam and married a couple of times, was denied any share in Balbir’s assets, which prompted Shamsher to commit suicide by setting himself on fire. Abrar, who had witnessed his grandfather’s suicide, became mute from the trauma. Vijay then reveals to Geethanjali about the affair with Zoya and she becomes depressed and angry at Vijay but the two put aside their differences.

Vijay with his cousins stops Abrar, who is about to escape the country in a private jet with Abid. A violent fistfight ensues on the runway for a couple of hours. Vijay requests Abrar to stop targeting Balbir to which he denies. At the end of the fight Vijay brutally slits Abrar’s throat, thereby putting an end to the chapter.

Back in India during Diwali, Balbir reveals that he has stage 4 ALL with only a few months left to live. He realises that his lack of love for his son has always been the root cause of Vijay’s aggression. Balbir finally apologises to Vijay who bitterly cries in the pain of losing his father, the one whom he loved more than anyone. At this time, Geetanjali leaves Vijay for USA with their children, but their son Abhay runs back to Vijay.

In a post-credits scene, Aziz Haque, a butcher in Istanbul and the youngest of the Haque brothers, is revealed as the one who underwent plastic surgery to resemble another Vijay. Zoya and Abid are with him and Zoya is revealed to be pregnant, though unsure whether the child’s father is Aziz or Vijay. After butchering two of Vijay’s cousins brutally, Aziz sets out with Abid to exact revenge for the deaths of their two elder brothers.