After Laila Majnu (2018) and two OTT films, Triptii Dimri had wondered whether she’d ever see herself on the big screen again. Today, she may have a small part in Animal, but the joy it has brought her is immense. While a huge section of the audience is discovering her through the Ranbir Kapoor-led film, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga discovered her through Bulbbul (2020) and signed her on to play a woman, who is sent by her lover to con the protagonist.

“He told me, ‘She is a mole. She has come to kill him and his whole family. But I don’t want to see [even a shred] of negativity in her eyes.’ I was immediately excited about the role,” she says.

Dimri’s role also entailed an intimate sequence with Kapoor. She credits her co-star and director for creating a safe space on set. “The day sir offered me the film, he told me about these scenes. He said, ‘I promise you it will be aesthetically shot. But if you aren’t comfortable with it, we’ll think of a different way to do it.’ The rape scene that I did in Bulbbul was traumatic. I had to leave myself behind to portray that. I used the same [approach] here. There were four people on set—Ranbir, Sandeep sir, the DoP and I. [I] felt I was surrounded by people who respected me.”

Animal is being criticised for the brazen misogyny of its lead character and some disturbing sequences, including one where Kapoor’s character asks Dimri to lick his shoe. “We did discuss it a lot. Prior to that scene, my character is talking about killing him, his wife, his kids. So, there is a lot at stake for him.”

Even as she acknowledges and respects the different opinions surrounding the movie, Dimri points out that Kapoor’s character is not glorified. “His wife leaves him, his father is going to die. He is left with nothing. We see our mothers as figures of perfection, who have to do everything right. Why do we view our heroes the same way? We forget he is also a human being and is allowed to make mistakes.”