'Animal' production designer Suresh Selvarajan: Sandeep said it must reflect Ranbir’s persona’

Ranbir Kapoor in the film

A lean, mean killing machine just wouldn't cut it. For an action set-piece of Ranbir Kapoor's Animal, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga wanted an imposing killing machine - one, that he believed, had to reflect the protagonist's invincibility. With that brief, production designer Suresh Selvarajan began work on the elaborate machine gun, putting pen to paper and creating a few sketches.

"Sandeep told me that Ranbir plays the son of the richest guy and a pilot too. He said that the war machine should reflect the lead actor's persona, build, anger and capability. So, it cannot be small. His brief was that when the machine turned, nobody should live," recalls Selvarajan. He envisioned a 500-kilo, three-wheeled device with three Gatling machine guns retrofitted on it and heavy projectile magazines wrapped around it.

Suresh Selvarajan; (right) The actor testing the prototype

After the design was approved, next came the prototype. "We designed a life-size prototype in wood before making it in steel, as you cannot make any alteration in steel. Operating [the final product] would also be a task. So, I requested Ranbir to check the wooden model, and with him, I determined his leg and knee positions."

Selvarajan - who has served as an art director on Shehzada and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan - admits this is the most challenging piece he has ever designed. He adds that the director wanted every part of the machine to be created in India. "We designed it from scratch. It took four months to create the machine made of iron and steel, weighing 500 kilos, at T-Series' Andheri warehouse." While rumours suggest the gigantic piece costs over R2 crore, he stays tight-lipped on the subject.

Though the Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna-starrer is being criticised for its extreme violence and misogyny, it is taking the box office by storm. It is not only the leading man's biggest opener, but also Vanga's biggest hit to date. Selvarajan says the director has decided to keep the war machine as memorabilia. "Sandeep has the Enfield bikes from Arjun Reddy [2018] and Kabir Singh [2019] as part of his collection. Now, he will have this war machine at his place as a [memento]. He also gave me the idea to design the metal masks and axes for the action scene."