Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s controversial blockbuster Animal — which sparked divided reactions upon release with one section of the audience criticising the film for its perceived romanticisation of misogyny and glorification of extreme violence, while another group embracing it enthusiastically — made significant strides at the 24th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards. While the movie won the award for Best Film, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol and singer Bhupinder Babbal bagged accolades for Best Supporting Actor, Best Performance in a Negative Role and Best Male Playback Singer, respectively.
Now, a video of Bobby Deol getting emotional during his acceptance speech has since gone viral. The clip captures fans in the audience cheering passionately, which visibly moved the actor. After his name was announced as the winner in the category, Bobby shared a heartfelt kiss with his wife Tanya Ahuja Deol, before taking the stage to accept his award. As he approached the mic, the overwhelming cheers from the audience seemed to lift his spirits even further. In the video, Bobby can be seen holding back tears and despite several attempts to speak, he was repeatedly interrupted by fans cheering every few seconds. The video concludes with Bobby dancing with a glass balanced on his head to the song “Jamal Kudu,” just like he did in Animal.
Watch Bobby Deol’s IIFA 2024 acceptance speech here:
In Animal, Bobby Deol plays the main antagonist Abrar Haque, who seeks revenge on Ranvijay Singh Balbir (Ranbir Kapoor) for killing his brother Asrar Haque (Babloo Prithiveeraj). The film, also starring Rashmika Mandanna, Triptii Dimri, Charu Shankar and Shakti Kapoor in key roles, grossed Rs 915 crore globally, according to industry tracker Sacnilk, making Animal the third-highest-grossing Indian film of 2023 and the fifth-highest-grossing Hindi film of all time.
