Nagarjuna reveals Ranbir Kapoor’s early fascination with Animal; says, “He was pulling out Vijay Deverakonda’s kissing scenes from Arjun Reddy

Nagarjuna with Ranbir and Alia

As Ram Gopal Varma’s action-drama Shiva readies for its grand 4K re-release, a recent promotional discussion featuring RGV, Nagarjuna Akkineni, and Animal director Sandeep Reddy Vanga has become the talk of the town. Nagarjuna made a fascinating revelation about Ranbir Kapoor’s passion for Animal long before it even went into production.

Nagarjuna shared how Ranbir was utterly engrossed in Sandeep’s filmmaking style while the two were shooting for Brahmastra. When Ram Gopal Varma asked Sandeep whether any actor had doubts before signing Animal, the filmmaker responded, “Ranbir never had a doubt.”

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That’s when Nagarjuna jumped in with an anecdote that left fans amused. “That time, I was doing Brahmastra with him, and he was only talking about Animal that he was going to start. He hadn’t even begun shooting yet,” said the veteran actor.

He went on to describe Ranbir’s intense curiosity about Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s earlier work. “He was pulling out Arjun Reddy — not the Hindi version, but the Telugu one — and showing me some scenes. I remember one sequence where Vijay (Deverakonda) is kissing a girl, and Ranbir was showing me how real it looked. He was very, very excited to start that film,” Nagarjuna revealed with a laugh.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, which ultimately released in 2023, turned out to be one of the biggest blockbusters of Indian cinema. Showcasing Ranbir in a fierce, emotionally layered, and morally ambiguous role, the film explored a turbulent father-son relationship and blended stylised action with psychological depth. The film went on to gross over Rs 900 crore worldwide.

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Meanwhile, nostalgia is running high for Shiva, Ram Gopal Varma’s groundbreaking 1989 film starring Nagarjuna, Amala Akkineni, Raghuvaran, and Tanikella Bharani. The film, inspired partly by Bruce Lee’s Return of the Dragon, revolutionised Telugu cinema with its gritty realism and technical finesse. The 4K re-release is set for November 14.