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Animal actress Tripti Dimri says that Ranbir Kapoor’s character Ranvijay asks her to lick his shoe but that’s because he’s going through a lot of intense thoughts.
Animal has generated a conversation about how much misogyny is too much misogyny in films. It has made Ranbir Kapoor the new icon of sexism in Indian cinema and has justified patriarchy without any guilt. For Tripti Dimri, who plays an important role in the film, there’s still a silver lining.
In her latest interview, the actress defended the decisions and blatantly sexist gestures by Ranvijay Singh, Ranbir‘s character in the film, including the highly derogatory scene in which he asks her to ‘lick his shoe’ to prove her loyalty in love. The scene in question shows Ranvijay asking her to prove her love to him by licking his shoe and when she sits down to do the same, he walks away. Tripti feels him going away and not letting the woman lick his shoe says a lot about his complex emotions.
Animal Movie Spoiler Alert:
While speaking to Indian Express, the actor, who’s known for her content-driven films like Bulbbul and Qala among others, said she flipped the scene and then thought about it. Tripti said, “I also thought that here was a woman who talks about killing his wife, father, kids, the entire family…. If someone tells me that, I will perhaps beat that person! Here, he does ask her to do that (lick his shoe) but also walks away later. He is clearly going through a lot of these (intense thoughts). Later when his cousins ask her what they should do with me, he says ‘Let her go wherever she wants to’.”
Tripti might have managed to find something less problematic about Rannvijay in Animal but she also maintained that she is not judging any character. In her next statement, she immediately highlighted how she has learned to play all characters and not judge a character’s ‘motivations’. She said, “Never judge your character. The characters you are playing, and the character your co-actor is playing, all are human and humans have good and bad sides. An actor must be prepared to play characters across the spectrum of good, bad and ugly, but if you judge a character’s motivations, and thoughts, you won’t be able to play it with honesty. So that’s what I kept in mind.”
Furthermore, Tripti takes pride in being labelled as ‘Bhabhi 2’ (the other woman), a title given to her after her character in Animal. She says in the same interview, “It does flatter me. Numbers are also a validation; it is a very visible form of love and I am grateful for that. But as an actor, I don’t want to get caught up in that. I know that people are also calling me that (Bhabhi 2) and honestly it just feels very, very overwhelming.”
The actor might have been a small part of Animal which is a never-seen-before celebration of misogyny in Bollywood but she is better remembered for her stronger performances. For playing the titular role in Bulbbul where she challenges the idea of a society which labels strong women as witches. And for playing a beautifully talented singer in Qala who struggles to be acknowledged and appreciated in a male-dominated industry.
Your thoughts on her statement?
