'Animal' director Sandeep Reddy Vanga shaves head at Tirupati Balaji Temple, see pics

Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga offered prayers at Tirupati Balaji Temple in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday morning. However, what caught fans attention was his bald avatar. In the videos captured by the paps, Sandeep was seen on the premises of the Tirumala temple. He can be seen wearing a dark blue kurta with a pink scarf. He sported a bald head and a clean, clean-shaven look.

He happily posed with fans. Reportedly, he offered hair to the deity as his customary at the temple.

After his darshan, Sandeep Reddy Vanga shared about his next project. During media interaction, when asked about his next project, the filmmaker said, "I will be directing a movie called Spirit with Prabhas soon."

Recently, Sandeep Reddy Vanga bagged the Best Director award for his film 'Animal' at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2024.

'Animal' was one of the biggest blockbusters of 2023. However, it was also criticised for its alleged depiction of misogyny. The filmmaker in different interview had also addressed the criticism towards the film. One of the many scenes that had come under the scanner was the male lead complimenting the female lead for having 'big pelvis' that can accommodate healthy children. Addressing the scene, he had said, "In the scene, "He's trying a different route to explain to her because it's her engagement day and they were not in touch. Coming with that force and saying, 'Listen, Gitanjali, I really love your pelvis.' He is trying to explain a theory that is related to the character, the title, and for the audience when they are watching the film, it doesn't seem like the theory he is talking about."

The director said, "I thought ‘big pelvis' scene was a compliment." Talking about the scene, "I thought of shooting (that) he would just be playing with the petals of the flowers and he'd just put his hand on her feet. I wanted to shoot that but I thought I would not show it. I thought on the shoot day ‘Let's not do that and again give a shock," revealed Vanga. "I felt like she is walking away, he knew that if he let her go without saying one more line, he knew that she was gone. So how should I say that I am seeing my future with you? I want to marry you. I thought in these situations boys behave very differently sometimes. Your intention is something else but you end up saying something else. So, he didn't know what to say. This was the brief given to Ranbir also. Suddenly he doesn't know what to say and he says Gitanjali got a big pelvis. He is giving a reason that I'm seeing a future with you that we'll get married and have babies. I thought that was a compliment. I never thought…how you found it ugly."

The film starred Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, and Bobby Deol in the lead roles.

'Animal' revolves around a troubled father-son relationship and has Ranbir in the role of Rannvijay Singh, who goes on to exact revenge after there's an assassination attempt on his father. The film raked in over Rs 800 crore at the box office.