Sandeep Reddy Vanga reveals why he didn't choose Shahid Kapoor over Ranbir Kapoor for Animal

Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga has shared why he thinks that actor Shahid Kapoor, with whom he worked on Kabir Singh, shouldn’t do remakes. In an interview with Game Changers podcast, Sandeep praised Shahid, calling him an 'original actor'. (Also Read | Sandeep Reddy Vanga says becoming IAS is easier than filmmaking as he reacts to Vikas Divyakirti's Animal criticism)

Sandeep Reddy Vanga opens up on working with Shahid Kapoor

The filmmaker was asked about his experience on working with Shahid Kapoor in Kabir Singh. Sandeep said, “Faith was anyways there because Shahid was very interested in doing the remake. Because it’s a remake, you know, there’s less discussion. Once the camera was shifting, I told Shahid that this scene was deleted, and we had one hour of time. The scene is this and this, and there's nice sunlight; let's shoot. And he said, ‘Okay'. I said, 'This is the intention and dialogue. The dialogue wasn't even on paper. He did it.”

Sandeep Reddy Vanga praises ‘original actor’ Shahid Kapoor

“We discussed and did it in 90 minutes. It wasn’t in the original script. We weren’t going to shoot it, but the light shifted, and I asked how much time it would take. He said it would take one hour. I said, ‘Shahid, why waste an hour? Let's shoot it.’ Then I realized that an actor like Shahid shouldn’t do remakes. He’s such an original actor. I also used to tell him so many times,” he added.

Why did Vanga not cast Shahid in Animal?

When asked if he thought about casting Shahid in Animal, Sandeep said he didn't think that. He added that when he thought about this "emotional story, Ranbir Kapoor only striked". The filmmaker added that it was "organic" because he felt Ranbir would be right for the role.

About Kabir Singh, Animal

Sandeep and Shahid worked in Kabir Singh (2019), a romantic drama film. It's a remake of his own Telugu film Arjun Reddy (2017). Kabir Singh also starred Kiara Advani, Arjan Bajwa, Nikita Dutta, among others. The film shows Shahid, a doctor, whose life goes for a toss after a breakup with his girlfriend.

Animal (2023), an action drama, featured Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Triptii Dimri. The film was criticised for glorifying misogyny and toxic masculinity.