Ranbir Kapoor a mix of De Niro, Pacino and Kamal: 'Animal' director Vanga

As an actor, Ranbir Kapoor has no limitations, says filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who believes he has presented the star in a never-seen-before avatar in their upcoming film Animal.

The movie revolves around a father and son and their troubled bond, played by Anil Kapoor and Ranbir, and from its trailer, seems set against the backdrop of extreme bloodshed in the underworld.

The director, best known for the Vijay Devarakonda-starrer Arjun Reddy and its Hindi remake Kabir Singh, starring Shahid Kapoor, said it was a pleasure to watch Kapoor transform into the total antithesis of himself in the role of Arjun Singh in Animal.

"Ranbir is a great actor, he is in a different league altogether. He is very original. I feel he is a mix of so many actors, it is wrong to compare to other actors, (but) I feel he is a mix of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Kamal Haasan. This man (Ranbir) has no limitations,” Vanga told PTI.

"He doesn’t get angry like his character (in the film). He is a very calm person. I remember when I used to write rage-filled scenes, I would ask him so many times, ‘Ranbir, when do you get angry?’ He would say, 'I don't get angry, and Sandeep this is the seventh or ninth time you are asking me this'."

Vanga said he was introduced to Kapoor's work through Rockstar, in which the actor played a musician struggling to find himself, spiritually and artistically. "I saw two shows of Rockstar on the same day. I loved him and I told him about this. I never thought I would get to work with him. As a concept film, this is my second film. I’m glad I got to work with him this early. He had called me saying, ‘we should work (together)’. This was after Kabir Singh.

"He had actually sent me a text message after Arjun Reddy, and I had not seen his message as it came from an unknown number. It was such a mistake. I was so happy when I learned about it,” Vanga said.

Animal also stars Bobby Deol and Rashmika Mandanna. Speaking about Bobby Deol, Vanga said Deol was always the first choice for the film.

"He is a great guy. From day one, we had Bobby in mind. I had called him in 2020 or 2021, he was promoting Class of 83. For one of the scenes where he is bare-chested, we shot it in Scotland in minus three degrees. He came, he did the shot,” he added.

Produced by Kumar and Krishan Kumar’s T-Series, Murad Khetani’s Cine1 Studios and Pranay Reddy Vanga’s Bhadrakali Pictures, Animal will release in theatres on 1 December in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Vanga is happy with the reception the film's teaser trailer has received, and said he is eager to see how the public will react when Animal opens in theatres next month.

"I'm so happy that everybody is liking it. I gave more than three years for this film. It all feels good when people like your work. I think the film will be a blockbuster. It’s been a while since there has been a story about father and son,” he said.