Abrar Haque in Animal
We’re well past the halfway mark and deep in the bowels of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal when we get a star entry. The scene splits to reveal a pair of kohl-lined eyes looking straight into the camera. Strains of “Jamal Kudu” — which is actually the Farsi song “Jamal Jamaloo”, a regular fixture in Iranian weddings — filter in, the cheerful voices offering a dramatic contrast to the dark mayhem of the preceding scenes. The camera pulls back to show a pair of heavy-lidded eyes, gleaming with mischief, a full beard and the glint of a devilish smile. Meet Abrar, the arch villain of Animal, played by Bobby Deol. Within a couple of minutes, Abrar will become the physical manifestation of every Islamophobic cliché, but before that happens, Deol gets to show off Abrar’s charming side. Dressed in a blue suit and rocking a stunning emerald necklace, Abrar dances playfully to the chorus of “Jamal Jamaloo”, balancing a glass of alcohol atop his curly mane. There’s an effervescence to Abrar which feels refreshing after hours in the brooding Vijay’s (Ranbir) company. You’d never guess that this same Abrar will, in quick succession, marry his third wife; murder a man; rape his third wife, assault the second, slap the first and have a threesome with all of them. Abrar’s role in Animal is short, savage and rife with offensive insinuations, but thanks to “Jamal Jamaloo” and Deol’s zaddy era, he gets a glorious entry scene.
