Former Team India captain M.S. Dhoni has recreated Ranbir Kapoor’s scenes from the 2023 blockbuster film Animal for an electric bicycle advertisement directed by filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga.
The ad, dropped by the bicycle brand on Tuesday, shows Vanga directing Dhoni. In the video, the CSK cricketer enacts viral scenes from the film that released on December 1, 2023.
Channeling Ranbir’s energy from Animal, Dhoni sports a blue blazer over a matching shirt and trousers, completing his look with black shades. Scenes such as Ranbir arriving in a black SUV and crossing a zebra crossing with his henchmen were recreated by the cricketer in the video.
“Sunai de raha hai mujhe, behra nahi… ,” Dhoni says, giving his own twist to the iconic dialogue from the movie. “Ab hua na mera hero ready,” Vanga responds.
Towards the end of the video, Dhoni is seen getting off his bicycle as he arrives at a wedding. When Vanga says that he acted “superb” in the ad, the 43-year-old cricketer points to his long hair with a top-knot and asks if the hairstyle was too flashy. “Yeh thora zyaada nahi ho gaya?” he says, to which Vanga asks him to “also check who’s riding the bike”.
“Animal for a reason,” reads the caption of the video.
The advertisement came as a surprise to Dhoni fans, who flooded the comments section with their excitement. “Thala for a reason,” one of them wrote. “Bhai ne bola, karne ka! Dhoni style,” another fan commented.
Animal revolves around Ranbir’s obsessive devotion for his father, played by Anil Kapoor, stemming from the latter’s absence in his childhood. As an adult, Ranbir turns into a vicious man with flowing hair and murderous eyes, determined to protect his father at all costs.
Also starring Bobby Deol and Triptii Dimri, Animal amassed Rs 915 Crore at the global box office, making it the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2023. Domestically, it garnered Rs 660 crore nett.
Following its release, the film faced flak for its alleged portrayal of toxic masculinity and misogyny.