Cinematographer Amit Roy On Why 'Animal’s' Climax Rejects Guns for Fists

What was amazing about that entire sequence is that it came very late in the film. We shot it almost towards the end, so for a very long time we were living with this impending fight in our heads — between Bobby’s (Deol) character and Ranbir’s (Kapoor) character — almost like a cloud hanging over the shoot. We also had the music, so the emotion of it was already embedded before we even rolled the camera.

One of the main things, and I don’t know whether the audience clocked it or not, is what I call the anatomy of hatred. When there is immense hatred between two people, it strangely overlaps with the feeling of being one, of being blood brothers. Emotions work like a pendulum. The more extreme the hatred, the closer it sits to love, to kinship. That’s why the first time they see each other was something we discussed endlessly. 

When Bobby steps out of the aircraft and Ranbir sees him for the first time, there’s an energy that’s almost like two lovers — or two people who desperately want to kill each other. It’s the same emotion, just tilted differently. Two men who have been waiting to destroy each other finally locking eyes. That moment stayed with me through the shoot, and it remains one of the highest points of the film for me.   

Blood Feud 

We shot that on an airstrip on the outskirts of London. I still remember taking pictures of them just chilling on the sidelines between takes, completely relaxed, because off camera they had such camaraderie and mutual respect. That bond helped enormously. Because they genuinely liked each other, they could translate that affection into something darker on screen.  

And then, of course, there’s the physicality. Two extremely alpha men going at each other. For me, it’s a very iconic moment in Indian cinema — at least in the last 20 years. You don’t often see two brawny men actually brawling. No wires, no slow-motion heroics, no flying kicks. Just fists, bodies colliding, proper punches landing. That visceral energy really stayed with me, and I thoroughly enjoyed capturing it. It was also incredibly tough. We were shooting in near-zero temperatures, cold and windy. Ranbir and Bobby were bare-bodied, while the rest of us were wearing five layers.  

Going Primal 

What I love about the conflict is the greyness of it. If you spend enough time with a character — even a villain — and you find an empathy point, the audience stops seeing things in black and white. Bobby’s character is dark, yes, but he’s also what I’d call a delicious villain. Add to that the trauma and justification that drive his character, and suddenly his revenge makes emotional sense.

That grey zone was very important to us. You’re not just watching hero versus villain. You’re watching two wounded men with legitimate grievances collide. Stylistically, the climax was about de-escalating violence. Usually films escalate — bigger guns, bigger explosions. In Animal, we did the opposite. You start with large- scale gun violence, and by the end it boils down to two enemies fighting it out with their bare hands. Why? Because primal enmity is primal masculinity. Strip everything away — the weapons, the armies — and eventually it comes down to physical prowess. Fist to fist. Two men telling everyone else to step back. It’s old school. For me, it carries echoes of classic Amitabh Bachchan fights, where the world pauses and it’s just two men settling a score.

You can have all the guns you want. But sometimes, the most violent thing you can do is take them away. 

As told to Anushka Halve.