Mahesh Bhatt on son-in-law Ranbir Kapoor getting criticised for Animal: It’s an occupational hazard

Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, released in December last year, turned out to be a massive blockbuster at the box office despite opening to a polarised response. Now, veteran filmmaker and Ranbir’s father-in-law Mahesh Bhatt has reacted to the criticism, saying an artist has no option but to exist in the unforgiving times. Also read: Ranbir Kapoor breaks silence on backlash for Animal: I don’t really agree with them

In a candid chat with Hindustan Times, Mahesh touched upon the issue, and his creative involvement in the film, Ab Dilli Dur Nahin.

On Animal getting criticised

Even after over six months of the release, Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal is still a topic of discussion among fans and many in the industry. The film ignited a fierce debate upon its release, with critics and audiences divided over its portrayal of masculinity and violence.

“That's also part of entertainment… It is a bloodsport. You get into the arena and there will be people celebrating you falling down and there will be people celebrating you triumphing. So that's a part of it,” Mahesh tells us.

He continues, “You have chosen that life. That’s why the world has very few performers and most of the people are spectators. The world ultimately belongs to the creators, not to the ones who are just sitting out there and throwing brickbats at a good performer. It takes another kind of audacity to be a performer”.

When prodded further, he shares, “These are occupational hazards. You can't have it both. You stand in the sun, you get sunburnt”.

On people taking films too seriously

When it comes to the entertainment landscape, the projects often start conversation on several issues, from gender parity to self discovery, but sometimes get stuck in a whirlwind and end up getting criticised.

Mahesh, who has directed over 50 films in his career, feels that has always been the case in the industry. And an artist has to learn to deal with it. “These are all the realities of the times. You can't wish it away. You and the art have to exist in unforgiving times. That's the reality and you have to live within the parameters of the given,” he notes.

On Ab Dilli Dur Nahin

The filmmaker might have taken a backstep from directing after Sadak 2, but he is very involved with showbiz in many ways. He recently returned as the writer of thriller horror Bloody Ishq, which stars Vardhaan Puri and Avika Gor in the lead. He was also creatively associated with social drama Ab Dilli Dur Nahin, which is based on a rickshaw puller’s son becoming an IAS Officer.

Describing it as a story of dreaming big, Mahesh says, “You need to have the audacity to dream. It is not restricted to the privileged or the urban society… The film is based on a play, which was a play that I did and it was a great experience”.

“It was a very moving experience. The director (Kamal Chandra) has taken baby step in the world of movies. This is an endeavour to transport the story of this birth of a dream which flowers into reality… And he has done it well. He has given wings to such narratives which will only inspire people all over the country,” Mahesh concludes.