Makers take on Javed Akthar for criticising Animal. Team Animal swiftly responded to the remarks made by writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar regarding the film's box office success. Taking to their official handle on X, the team tagged Akhtar and questioned his grasp of filmmaking and storytelling.
In response to Akhtar's comments at the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival in Aurangabad, the official Animal handle tweeted, "If a writer of your caliber cannot comprehend the nuances of a lover's betrayal between Zoya and Ranvijay, then your entire art form is a massive falsehood. The film seeks to free love from the shackles of gender politics and simply portrays them as lovers. In the story, a lover betrays and lies, and the lover says 'lick my shoe.' Period."
Akhtar's remarks seemed to be directed at a specific scene in Animal, where Ranbir Kapoor's character asks Triptii Dimri's Zoya to lick his shoe as a test of her love.
Emphasizing the importance of audience responsibility, Akhtar continued, "Nowadays, I feel that a bigger responsibility is on the audiences than filmmakers. The audiences have to decide what kind of movies should be made, and what kind of films should not be made. Also, what kind of values and moralities should be shown in our films, what should we reject, that decision is in your hands. The ball is currently in the audience’s court."
Despite the criticism, Team Animal remained undeterred, going on to host a grand success celebration in Mumbai, attended by Bollywood's elite, showcasing their confidence in the film's achievements.