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Reviewing Animal: A Psychology Perspective

Writer's picture: Team Nolmë Labs Team Nolmë Labs
A man, with long hair and a beard, stands holding an axe in a blood-stained outfit amidst a group of masked people in tuxedos, in a dramatic, dimly lit setting reminiscent of an intense scene in the movie Animal starring Ranbir Kapoor.
Ranbir Kapoor stars as the main protagonist in Animal, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga (📷Netflix)

Animal directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Tripti Dimri has received much attention since its release. Some review it as a cinematic masterpiece while others as a dangerous portrayal, encouraging violence, bloodshed, toxic masculinity, abuse and misogyny. The movie showcases a father’s dismissal of his child’s love and need for positive regard turning him into an ‘Animal’ - willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure his father’s safety and wellbeing. In this piece, we try to reviewing Animal from a primarily psychology perspective.


Ranvijay Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) subscribes to the evolutionary notion of alpha and beta masculinity and biological bases of gender roles. He justifies toxic masculinity through tropes of how ‘alpha males’ are supposed to be virile, brawny and predisposed to violence to optimise their potential to be selected by potential mates. Women, on the other hand, are meant to have a “large pelvis” to accommodate birthing healthy offsprings and this allows them to have the best pick of the mate that nature has to offer.  He espouses that in the absence of his father, he is the “man of the house” and hence responsible for protecting the women in his family. 


His father, the busy industrialist Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor), fails to make time for his family or his venerating son. He pays no heed to his son’s adulation for him, and instead is physically violent with him, sending him off to boarding school as a punishment for his peculiar ways. On his return, the protagonist feels neglected by his father, and replaced by his brother-in-law, leading him to feel disconnected from his family. 


An assassination attempt on his father starts him on a path of endless violence and desire for vendetta. His near-fatal injuries in the process resulted in multiple fractures, bruises, loss of sense of taste, smell and hearing, and damage to his arteries and urethra. 


Here, the protagonists’ hypermasculinity is presented as an immediate dismissal of the expertise of medical professionals. He curtly derides the professional views of the psychologist and says he doesn’t need her. The silence that follows and the embarrassment portrayed on the psychologists’ face mocks the graveness of the situation, and the audience bursts into laughter in the theatres.  


The scene depicts Ranvijay's hesitancy of even needing a psychological consultation so much so that he feels threatened by the mere presence of a psychologist in the medical team. Deriding mental health services through the filmic language of comedy as well as the audience reaction screams volumes of Indian perceptions of mental health. Ranvijay’s remorseless violence strongly signifies underlying mental health issues played a role in his crimes. Despite this, there is a clear superseding of physical over mental health, even though it was clear that psychological assistance regarding beliefs about masculinity and parental attachment could have prevented Ranvijay’s problems.


Additionally, Ranvijay’s discomfort with the Psychologist’s note-taking was notable. In reality, note-taking is an essential process in therapy which allows the mental health professional to record their “thoughts, impressions, and feelings about the conversation, along with important details and topics they want to pursue next time”. 


It’s always assured that the client doesn’t feel intimidated or judged in any way through it. Practicing empathy and active listening are crucial components of therapy which eradicates this discomfort. The therapist tries to make proper eye-contact with the client, ensuring that they feel heard. Some psychotherapists also prefer recording the session with client’s informed consent or make the notes after the sessions so they can be present while the client is talking. None of this was portrayed in Vanga’s screen portrayal of a psychologist. 


The psychologist then comments that his injuries might impact his relationships with his spouse. The discussion escalates to the psychologist questioning Ranvijay's sex life in the presence of the entire team of medical professionals, his parents and siblings. Visibly offended Ranvijay raises the same question to Dr. Amrita, attempting to offend her, and succeeding. 


There are several issues with this portrayal of client-psychologist interaction. 


As per the American Psychological Association’s Code of Ethics, which is guides the scientific, educational, and professional roles of psychologists globally, psychologists are required to 


  1. Take Informed Consent: 

Psychologists take time to explain the risks and benefits of the therapeutic relationship as early as feasible to the client. They cover the anticipated course of therapy, fees, involvement of third parties, the limits of their confidentiality and provide sufficient opportunity for the client/patient to ask questions and receive answers. 


Animal certainly did not portray a routine therapy session considering the absence of a safe and private therapeutic environment, and the rampage of questions that Dr. Amrita dives into without completing initial formalities like case history and mental status examination for the client. Admittedly, she was not given the opportunity to do so by the character, but she did have the option to terminate engagement and decline participation, which she was not portrayed to do.


  1. Build Rapport: Psychologists are required to cultivate a safe therapeutic environment with the client before exploring themes that are triggering and personal to an individual, such or invoke guilt and shame. The movie depicts the psychologist raising such questions in the first minutes of interaction with the protagonist, and in a public setting. 


  1. Maintain confidentiality: Psychologists have a primary obligation to protect confidential information obtained through the therapeutic process. They recognise and communicate the limits of confidentiality and explain this plainly to the client before starting therapeutic work. In the movie, the psychologist clearly breaches the fundamental right to privacy of the couple, openly questioning their sex life in the presence of their family and other professionals.


While Animal sparked controversy for being misogynistic and celebrating toxic masculinity, the contemptuous portrayal of the psychologist went largely unnoticed. Popular media portrayals of mental health professionals misguides audiences and influences their perception regarding the efficacy of therapy and psychological assistance. This in turn, prolongs help-seeking for those who need it, often till it is too late. 


Alternately, positive portrayals of therapy and help-seeking have been shown to bolster help-seeking in real life. It’s time film-makers realised the power they hold through their film-making choices and wield it more responsibly.


 

Vanshika is a Mental Health Advocate at Nolmë Labs and psychology undergraduate from Delhi University. She loves interacting with children and geriatric populations. The best compliment she can receive as a passionate psychology major is that she’ll be a great mental health professional in the future. You can follow her mental health awareness page [Instagram and Linkedin] to know her better.


Final edits and revision: bysalonidiwakar


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