Charu Shankar talks about why Sandeep Reddy Vanga chose her for ‘Animal’ after auditioning hundreds of actors – Exclusive | Hindi Movie News

As something that was highly anticipated, ranbir kapoor As Animal stars in the film make a huge impact at the box office, we turn to Animal’s mother, played by Charu Shankar, a character who brings depth and emotion to the intense story. In her exclusive interview with ETimes, she shares insight into her experience joining the cast and details her collaboration with her director Sandeep Reddy Vangaand a glimpse into the dynamics of working together with the iconic. anil kapoorBelow are excerpts from our conversation…
“Animal” received a great response from the audience. How does it feel?
It’s difficult to put this feeling into words. As an actor, you often think, “Oh, what would happen if this happened?” What if that happens? It’s like a little blessing. He was so happy when he saw himself in the trailer. Animal is edgy and stylized and will be a trendsetter for upcoming films.
How did you decide to be a part of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film?
Early last year, I got a direct call from the director’s team, and when I went to meet Sandeep, he was very polite and said, “Thank you for coming,” but to play Jyoti in the second half. I think you’re too young for the movie. At that time, I was already filming “Rocket Boys.” So I showed him a picture of myself as Indira Gandhi on my phone and said, “I love the challenge of being someone I’m not.” When he saw those photos, he was quite surprised and thought, “Wow, that’s really well done.” Months later, he got the call that he had gotten the role. Sandeep later told me that he had auditioned hundreds of actors, but he would never forget that I, sitting across the table from him, looked very different from the image he had on his phone. He said that he had not done so.

Sandeep’s first Hindi filmKabir Singh” received mixed reactions. While some praise his cinematic genius, others accuse him of creating sexist and misogynistic content. How was the experience of working with him?
I can’t comment on Kabir Singh, but what I can comment on in my film Animal is my own character. What I really liked about working with Sandeep was that he had such a sharp focus on his stories. “Animal” is a story about love taken to extreme limits. My character Jyoti is probably the only person who foresaw this at the beginning of the film. And she appeals to both men forcefully and equally. From the beginning, Sandeep was very clear and I was very clear that this character was not a pushover. I wanted her to nip her, stop her from doing this, push back. Sandeep listened to my opinion and conducted a workshop. In the process, we were able to create a really rounded, fully fleshed out character. I really appreciate Sandeep.

You play Anil Kapoor’s wife in the film. What was it like working with him?
I grew up watching Anil Kapoor’s films and have admired him for years. And it was a great honor for me to be cast opposite Anil Kapoor in Animal. He is a real pleasure to work with as an actor. He has a very collaborative process and has always been very kind to me. He always wanted to know – what would Jyoti say here? How would Jyoti respond? What will be Jyoti’s reaction? And whatever I said in response, he heard that and said, oh, okay, let’s try it this way. I felt totally comfortable with him even though he was a superstar and I was impressed with superstars too.

How did you prepare for the role, especially considering the dynamic between your character and the characters played by Anil Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor?
Ranbir plays my son in the film and Sandeep has always maintained that out of all the family members, Jyoti probably understands her son the most and she will defend him in front of his father (AK). was. I wanted to play this dynamic with quiet strength as the two clash, and the boys were totally on board with this.

The film also stars Ranbir Kapoor. Rashmika Mandanna and bobby deol. How are they as actors and co-stars on set? Who did you bond with the most on set?
The bond of Sabse Jada – it must be the bond with Rashmika! She was very cute and we became friends right away.
Animals explores intense and dramatic themes. How do you get through emotionally demanding scenes and what do you find most rewarding about playing such a role?
As an actor, I’ve always tried to make different choices, especially in intense or dramatic scenes, to avoid stereotypes. For example, the scene where my character Jyoti confronts her husband AK, I didn’t want it to sound clingy. So I kept the image of gardening in my mind. Perhaps Jyoti is planting the seed of an idea here. It’s a small change, but the way the lines are said changes.