Animal starring Ranbir Kapoor received mixed reactions from audiences and critics alike, while some enjoyed the film a section of society criticized the film. Sandeep Reddy Vanga's directorial displayed extreme violence, action, brutality, and gore which was not accepted by some people. However, the action flick recorded over 900 crores at the box office. Sharmila Tagore who is known to express her thoughts and break stereotypes slams Animal calling it misogynist. She also shared her thoughts on Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies. 

In an interview with Kapil Sibal, Sharmila Tagore said, “Beyond violence, there was misogyny. There were a lot of women in the audience who said I want somebody to love me like that. Any film that runs a lot, you cannot rubbish it. You have to engage with it, try and understand it that what exactly is happening here."

Host Kapil Sibal further said Kiran Rao's 'Laapataa Ladies' broke all the records. To this Tagore corrected him saying "Only on OTT, not in theatres." She continued "It did well even theatrically as it was within the budget. Whereas Animal spent a lot of money and made a huge amount of money also and other films like that. There is that stark difference (in budgets) and it will continue. I don’t see it in the near future that it is going to change… … So, the smaller films will also get their money back but not in the quantity that say a Ranbir Kapoor or a Ranveer Singh will bring."

Not just Sharmila Tagore, several other celebrities, including Javed Akhtar, Kiran Rao, and Adil Hussain, have also voiced concerns about Animal in Indian cinema. They highlighted the problematic depiction of various aspects in the film