Indian film ‘Animal’ was a weird creature, a film without a script or a story but lots of pointless action and misogyny.
Many people do not know that a Pakistani actress also acted in the film, directed by Sandeep Reddy, albeit in a small role.
Geo Digital spoke to UK-based Pakistani actress Shafina Patel Shah, who played actor Bobby Deol’s second wife in Animal.
She was initially offered the role of Deol’s third wife, which was eventually played by Indian actress Mansi Tuksak.
When asked how she got the role in the film, she said, “One day I received a message asking me to audition for a role in an Indian film.”
“Last year I was in Peshawar in Pakistan when I received a message that there is a Bollywood film in which there is a role. Will you do this role?”
She continued, “I replied to the message that I had no objection and that I would do the role.”
She further added, “I had also sent the audition tape and I didn’t get any response for a week. One day they replied that you have been finalized for the role.”
She said, “I had auditioned for the role of Bobby Deol’s character Abrar Haq’s third wife, but I was selected to play the second wife.”
The Persian song Jamal Jamalo, featured in the film, was also very popular in both India and Pakistan. However, an unusual incident occurred on the set during the filming of the song.
Shafina narrates: “When we were shooting Jamal Jamalo, there was a scene with Bobby Deol where, on the wedding day, he gouged out the eyes of his informant in front of all the guests. A lot of fake blood was used in the scene. While filming, a girl in the junior cast collapsed and fainted. Thank God she’s fine now, but we were shocked to witness this. Animal was also criticized for its violent scenes.”
Shafina has also worked with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in an advertisement a few years ago. About the experience, she told Geo Digital, “When I saw King Khan for the first time, my heart started racing. He came up to me and asked, ‘How are you?’ I replied, ‘I’m fine, how are you?’ But the truth is, my heartbeats were abnormally fast.”
She also shared, “I played the role of an agent of the Indian secret agency RAW in a film with Tiger Shroff, but this film has been shelved for now.”
