Actor Rasika Dugal was one of the guests at the We The Women Asia event in Mumbai, where she was asked about what kind of things were non-negotiable while saying yes to projects. While the actor stated that she would turn down misogynistic work like Animal, the internet called out the hypocrisy and reminded her that she acted in the Mirzapur web series. Here’s what happened.
What did Rasika Dugal say?
Rasika was asked if there was any kind of work she would say no to as an actor, and she replied, “The things that I won’t do is celebrate misogyny or be part of a propaganda film. I won’t; those things are non-negotiable for me.” She was then asked if she would say no to Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, then, and she replied that she would turn it down.
However, Rasika brought up her character from Mirzapur as an actor and said that she would consider a role if the ‘politics of a project’ aligned with her own. “I would be very happy to play a character whose politics doesn’t sync with mine. And I often do. I mean, I am not Beena Tripathi in real life. I don’t go around killing people and violating men. That’s wildly exciting to me as a performer because then I have to go and understand the mind, which I haven’t understood. That, to me, is why I do what I do.”
How did the internet react?
The internet was not convinced with her explanation of why she would play Beena in Mirzapur but turn down a role in a film like Animal. “Prime example of hypocrisy. If I do it’s empowerment somebody else does it’s misogyny, if I do it’s my politics other do it’s propaganda,” wrote one X (fomerly Twitter). Even singer Malini Awasthi called her out, writing, “Coming from someone who played mrs Tripathi in Mirzapur! Hight of double standards!”
One person claimed, “Animal is a dream project for any actor. Period. Anyone saying otherwise is just dealing with angoor khatte hain (sour grapes) energy.” Another wrote, “Someone please remind them about mirzapur.” An X user wondered, “Mirjapur is show full of misogyny! I guess these actors feel pressured to say some dumb woke s**t when ever they get an interview.”
A person even thought Animal was a ‘nursery rhyme’ when compared to Mirzapur, writing, “Animal movie is a nursery rhyme compared to the sleaze fest that is Mirzapur. I don’t understand why actors suddenly try to grow a moral compass.” Another questioned, “Was Mirzapur about women empowerment?”
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna-starrer Animal was released in theatres in 2023. Since its release, the film has received criticism for being misogynistic, much like Sandeep’s previous work Kabir Singh (2019). Mirzapur is a Prime Video web series created by Karan Anshuman. Its three seasons were released in 2018, 2020 and 2024.
