Dividing critics and audiences while minting money at the box office, Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal redefines mainstream action in Bollywood. The violent revenge saga directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga (who had earlier courted controversy with Arjun Reddy and its Hindi remake Kabir Singh) finds Kapoor playing Rannvijay Singh, a man burdened by the toxic aggression of his father. But when his authoritarian father’s life is threatened, the morally grey protagonist wreaks havoc in Vanga’s blood-soaked thriller.
For the viewers left shocked after Animal, they can also stream similar crime dramas or other works by Vanga and Kapoor. But if one needs less violent options, one can stream some family dramas exploring turbulent father-son bonds like the one shared between Anil Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor’s characters in Animal. Here’s a glimpse at your post-Animal watchlist.
1- Wake Up Sid
Ranbir Kapoor has had a history of playing rebellious sons as in this feel-good coming-of-age comedy, he plays a spoilt brat trying to build a life out of his wealthy father’s shadow.
2- Udaan
Ronit Roy shocked viewers with his gritty portrayal of an abusive and strict father who controls the dreamy aspirations of his aspiring poet of a son. Not an easy watch, Udaan still offers some much-needed hope.
3- Sarkar
Animal’s central relationship is rooted in violence and is drawing parallels with Michael Corleone’s arc in The Godfather. So, what else to watch but the Hindi remake of the mafia classic? With Amitabh Bachchan filling in for Marlon Brando, Sarkar explores a criminal patriarch’s dominating influence over a shattered family.
4- Dil Dhadakne Do
Animal isn’t Anil Kapoor’s first rodeo as a tough dad. The ensemble comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do found him playing a similar part as a father who is concerned more about his business and social image than the trouble brewing within his family. The end result is one of Kapoor’s most earnest performances.
5- Sanju
In many ways, Sanju seems to be the blueprint for Animal given how it proved Kapoor’s affinity to take on physically-challenging roles and to portray morally ambiguous characters. The semi-autobiographical take on Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt’s life is regarded as one of Ranbir Kapoor’s best movies and marked a comeback in his career.
6- Road to Perdition
Have a little Hollywood detour after Animal with the hard-hitting gangster drama Road to Perdition. Playing out as a road movie between a 1920s-era mobster and his adolescent son, this brilliant Sam Mendes venture is one of the few movies to feature Tom Hanks not playing a morally righteous hero. Even though Hanks’ antihero is on the wrong side of the law, his struggles to be a good father might interest Animal’s audiences.
7- Leo
Loosely inspired by David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence, Leo finds Thalapthy Vijay playing an ominous man with an ominous history who is brought back to a life of gruesome violence after an accident. Much like Animal, Leo explores the moral impact of bloodshed on its hero.
8- The Raid
If Animal’s fight sequences interested you, prepare for more claustrophobic hand-to-hand combat and over-the-top bloodshed in this expertly choreographed Indonesian classic.
9- Haider
Hamlet gets a morbid Indian adaptation in the valley of Kashmir with Kabir Singh star Shahid Kapoor playing a man seeking vengeance for his father’s death. But matters get complicated as his own mother seems to be involved with the killer.
10- Arjun Reddy
The film that kickstarted Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s career (and his affinity for controversy). This tale of a toxic romantic is quite a fitting prelude to Animal.
