Bobby Deol believes that each step in the past few years, from Class of 83 (2020) to Aashram, as he slowly revived his career has led him to this point. To Animal. In the three days since its release, the Ranbir Kapoor-led film has polarised audiences and sparked debates. At the same time, it has enjoyed a huge opening, and won Deol praise for his performance as the revenge-obsessed mute gangster. “I feel like I am dreaming,” he begins.

For the acclaim coming his way, Deol has only one person to thank—director Sandeep Reddy Vanga. Had he expected that Animal would take the box office by storm? In a way, he did.

“From the time I met Sandeep and when I shot for it, I had a strong gut feeling that this film will be special. When the numbers came out, it felt [surreal]. Sandeep Reddy Vanga is a one-of-a-kind director. From designing that machine gun, to the chain I wear in the film, it’s all him.”

Some actors might think twice before playing such a blood-thirsty man. The role, with its gore and violence, may make one wonder, ‘Is it too much?’ But such thoughts didn’t bother Deol.

“I never had any apprehension about the character being violent or dark because I knew who this person was. My character in his childhood loses his grandfather, who sets himself on fire. He chooses a darker path because of what happened with his family, he wants to avenge his grandfather’s death. We see so many films where the hero takes revenge from the villain. So, I never thought he was a villain. I always thought he was the hero of his family.”

Many parts of the movie have been criticized—from its gore to its treatment of the female characters, who are shown mostly suffering at the hands of its alpha men. What’s his take? “People take things personally sometimes. We’ve been brought up in a beautiful culture, but there are people who treat women badly. The women, when they see that on screen, can identify with it. Films are a reflection of our society. It’s exaggerated in cinema. People feel they are being told a story in an entertaining way. Box-office [figures] show people have accepted this film,” he says.

Another complaint that many have is that Deol, whose presence was drummed up in the trailer, barely has a 15-minute role in the action fare. The actor says, “I’ve heard people say, ‘We wanted to watch more of you.’ I had 15 days with a great director. I knew this was a role of a lifetime. I knew even if it was 15 minutes, my role would make an impact, if I do it right. And it has!”

As the makers tease a sequel, Deol’s fans are hoping for a standalone film on him.  He echoes their sentiment, saying, “I wish Sandeep makes a film based on my character.”