Actor Ranbir Kapoor on Thursday said playing a son to Anil Kapoor’s character in Animal brought back “a lot of sweet memories” of his late father, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor.

Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Animal also stars Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Triptii Dimri. The movie is set to be released on Friday in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Ranbir Kapoor, who made his film debut opposite Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam Kapoor with 2007’s Saawariya, thanked the veteran actor for playing his father on screen.

“Thank you, Anil uncle, for doing this. I have shared a very warm relationship with him all these years. To play father-son relationship with him was very grateful.

“I see a lot of my father in him, because they come from similar generations, they have similar thinking patterns. While performing with him, there were a lot of sweet memories that I could recall,” he told reporters here at the film’s promotional event.

The actor said it was amazing to play a son to Anil Kapoor, “who doesn’t look like my father but my younger brother”.

“He promised me long back, when I was debuting with his daughter, Sonam Kapoor… He had said, ‘Main kisi ka baap nahi banoonga, lekin jab tu film leke aayega main tera baap banoonga’,” he added.

“Animal” showcases a violent world set against the backdrop of a troubled relationship between Ranbir Kapoor’s Arjun Singh and his father Balbir Singh, played by Anil Kapoor.

Drawing parallels with his equation with his real-life father, Ranbir Kapoor said his relationship with Rishi Kapoor was a combination of love, respect and fear.

“The relationship that I shared with my father, like most of the father-son relationships in India… There’s a bit of distance, a bit of fear but there’s also love and respect.

“‘Animal’ is about seeing a father-son relationship through an obsessed son, so it is very different from what I probably shared in real life. Somewhere, subconsciously, you have certain beats and moments in life, the emotional bank to play such scenes,” the actor added.

Deol, who plays the antagonist in “Animal”, said he is looking forward to the film’s release.

“There’s nervousness. Every film is special and this film is very special to me as I got to play this character and the opportunity to be working with these actors, so I feel blessed,” the “Aashram” star said.

Mandanna said she is nervous about the release of the film. The actor plays Geetanjali, wife to Ranbir Kapoor’s character in “Animal”.

“I feel like my body has gone super numb and cold right now. I might fumble a lot,” she said.

Watching movies on a big screen is an amazing experience, added Mandanna.

“Theatre is like a temple to everyone who works in the industry. You can experience something so amazing with all the sound, vision. Everything is so real, it gives you a different experience. That’s why we come to theatres to watch movies on the big screen,” the “Pushpa: The Rise” star said.   The actors were speaking at the newly launched property, Maison INOX cinema, a unique luxury boutique property at Jio World Plaza in suburban Mumbai. This is the second Maison cinema in Mumbai.

The new cinema is a six-screen property with a seating capacity of 790 audience members, including the trademark Insignia area with two screens, and the Galleria area with one IMAX screen with laser technology, and three premiere screens. It is the first cinema in Mumbai with an exclusive bar and lounge called GATSBY’S.

Ajay Bijli, managing director, PVR INOX Limited, said it was heartening to see people flock to theatres in huge numbers in the post COVID-19 world.

“Hollywood made 175 movies, down to 65 movies last year because of COVID-19. We have about 1,200 movies in different languages being made. But one thing that has not changed is the flow of content, it is volume driven.

“Second is the passion of Indian moviegoers to still go (to the theatre) even though there’s some distraction because of cricket. But the number one out of home entertainment is still movie watching,” he said.

According to Bijli, the only thing that has changed in the film exhibition industry over the years is the focus on building infrastructure that offers a great experience to viewers.

“The only thing that has changed is our job as exhibitors, is to build that infrastructure, that conduit between the film goer and the filmmaker. We have to keep pushing the envelope.

“We have to make sure that the experience is phenomenal, that you feel, ‘Wow, this is how movies should be seen’. So, incremental improvement in seating, sound, projection system, that’s the only thing that has changed,” he added.

Animal is produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar’s T-Series, Murad Khetani’s Cine1 Studios and Pranay Reddy Vanga’s Bhadrakali Pictures.