Animal Vs Bad Newz: Is Bollywood Being Unfair?

The recent debate over Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film “Animal” and the last week released “Bad Newz” has sparked discussions about how Bollywood treats stories about infidelity and gender roles.

“Animal” features a male lead who has an extramarital affair, which led to strong criticism from many critics though the film made ₹900+ crores collection.

Many accused Sandeep Reddy Vanga of being patriarchal and promoting toxic masculinity with violent themes and portrayal of women.

The ‘Arjun Reddy’ maker defended his film, arguing that critics often overlook the deeper messages in his work and that they should be more consistent in their judgments of different films.

In contrast, “Bad Newz” tells the story of a woman who accidentally becomes pregnant with twins from two different men. Surprisingly, this film has not faced the same level of backlash as “Animal.”

Supporters of Sandeep Vanga have pointed out this difference, questioning why the industry is harsher on male-centred narratives while being more forgiving of female-focused stories that also deal with complex issues.

This has led to discussions about the double standards in how films are received when carved by Bollywood’s own men and by South Indian filmmakers who break box office records. Guess what, Bad Newz got more attention because of that lady in “Animal” who stunned with her dare-bare show in a short role, and that is Tripti Dimri.