Two months after it hit theatres, the debate around Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal refuses to die down — with many accusing the film of promoting misogyny and glorifying violence. Lyricist Javed Akhtar, for instance, called the movie’s success “dangerous” for the society.

Responding to these remarks, Vanga said in a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, “It’s very clear in that comment that he did not see the entire film. Now, if someone is talking without watching the film, what can I say about them? You feel bad because it is very clear that he has not seen the film. And it’s not only about him; anybody who is throwing stones on an art piece, why don’t they check their surroundings first?”

The filmmaker further went on to question why Javed Akhtar “isn’t checking his son’s work”. He added, “Why didn’t he tell the same thing to Farhan Akhtar when he was producing Mirzapur. Duniya bhar ke gaali ek show mein hai and I haven’t even watched the whole show. If you watch the Telugu version, you will feel like puking.”

Vanga also reacted to actor Parvathy Thiruvothu’s comments about his films Arjun Reddy (2017) and Kabir Singh (2019) glorifying violence. “There is a Malayalam actor, I think her name is Parvathy Thirovothu. She said in an interview that Joker (2019) didn’t glorify killing. When Joker dances on the stairs while a song plays, she didn’t think that was glorification. I was shocked. She’s a very good actor, and if someone like her can feel Joker doesn’t glorify violence but Kabir Singh does, then what can we expect of the general public?” he said.

Meanwhile, filmmaker Kiran Rao has responded to Vanga’s claim that she didn’t flag off the misogyny in her ex-husband and actor Aamir Khan’s ’90s movies. In an interview with The Quint, she addressed Vanga’s statement that people should “check their own surroundings” before criticizing movies directed by him. “If Mr Vanga has something to tell Aamir, he should tell him man-to-man. I’m not responsible for Aamir’s work or Aamir Khan. I wish Mr Reddy would address his questions directly to Mr Khan,” she said.