Animal: Charu Shankar Shares Her Thoughts On Playing Ranbir Kapoor's Mother, Says 'We Are One Year Apart'

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s latest film, Animal, is one of the most talked about films of the year. Featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol and Anil Kapoor in prominent roles, the film has become a massive hit at the box office. However, in true Sandeep Reddy Vanga fashion, the film has also created quite a controversy for its rather triggering scenes. Among the actors that received praises, Charu Shankar who played Ranbir Kapoor’s mother in the film revealed what made her take that part despite being a year older than Ranbir Kapoor.

Speaking with the entertainment portal Bollywood Hungama, Charu Shankar recalled, “We (Her and Ranbir) are only one year apart; that is true. As an actor, why would I refuse? This was an opportunity, which was a very exciting opportunity. I knew the cast; I knew what the film was, when Sandeep narrated the story. I thought it was very interesting, very different. And he told me from the word go, he said, ‘I want you to play a very crucial part in my film. I want you to establish very quickly in the film what the central conflict of the film is.’ I was sold on that. I was like yeah.”

She added, “I still remember I was wearing jeans and a kurta. And I’m sitting and chilling and I think we had arrived early, and Sandeep walks in and he crosses us, and he goes to his office. And then he calls in his AD and says, ‘Who’s that?’ So they’re like, ‘That’s Charu Shankar, you know, you’d asked for a meeting.’ He said, ‘Okay, call her in.’ And as soon as I came in, he said, ‘Nice to meet you, thank you for coming all the way, but I have to tell you, you’re too young.’”

Released on December 1, Animal revolves around a man and his toxic relationship with his father. The film shows Vijay (played by Ranbir) as an anti-hero who would go to any lengths to protect his father, including gun down 200 people with machine gun. However, despite his efforts, he struggles to get a seal of approval from his emotionally unavailable father (played by Anil Kapoor). Animal has already crossed the Rs 500 crore mark at the Indian box office.