Responding to Javed Akhtar's criticism of 'Animal', the film's makers responded by saying, "[If a] writer of your calibre cannot understand the betrayal of a lover...then all your art form is...FALSE." They added, "If a woman...said "lick my shoe" then you guys would have celebrated it by calling it feminism." Akhtar said the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer's success was "dangerous".