Rahul Ravindran defends Rashmika's The Girlfriend amid Pune murder case row

Director Rahul Ravindran has hit back at internet trolls after his upcoming Telugu movie The Girlfriend, starring Rashmika Mandanna, was dragged into the shocking Ketan Agarwal murder case. Responding to a social media user who drew a direct comparison between the real-life crime and his film's narrative, Ravindran clarified that his movie addresses a completely different issue—specifically the subtle, everyday societal oppression faced by women.

The director highlighted that he was not yet fully familiar with the complete details of the case, emphasising that a cinematic adaptation of such a tragedy would simply be a story about "one particular woman committing a crime" rather than a generalised statement on gender.

An X user shared a still from The Girlfriend to suggest that films like these highlight certain stories in favour of women to "hide" the reality of cases like the Pune murder case. Another user then tagged Rahul Ravindran and asked him to "do one movie on atrocities of women on men."

Responding to this on X, Ravindran mentioned that he does not "see atrocities of 'women' on 'men' at all". In a lengthy note, he wrote, "I see some horrible incidents of sociopathic human beings who happen to be women, committing horrible crimes. On the other hand... I see a self sustaining system that has lasted centuries that suffocates women... that through invisible, everyday microaggressions, forces them to shrink their identities. That doesn't offer them an equal world. This is from my perspective. I've seen so many women around me suffer silently because of it. And I chose to convey that through this story. I felt responsible for it as a man... because I benefit from the power equation (sic)."

Ravindran also said he was not well versed with the details of the Ketan Agarwal murder case. "I haven't read the details of this particular case yet... I will do so. And if there's a story that I find interesting to tell... I will do that too. But it would be about one particular woman committing a crime. Not crimes of women on men. There's a difference, the way I see it. Mind you, such incidents of crime are ghastly and terrible. But what I was trying to do is completely different. Had nothing to do with such crimes (sic)," he added.

The director further explained why he did not portray the boyfriend Vikram, played by Dheekshith Shetty in The Girlfriend, as "a murderer or a rapist". "There is no physical abuse. He is in fact faithful. And yet... There's one section like the original tweet that gets triggered by the film. Ask yourself why that is. But sure... if you or anyone else has a problem... call it out. It's a healthy habit. I promise to take the feedback and introspect. It's wonderful for all of us to talk to each other and try to understand each other (sic)," Ravindran concluded.

Ketan Agarwal murder case

In the Pune murder case, police said Siya had made several attempts to bring Ketan to Lohagad Fort. The couple first visited the fort on May 31. Four days later, on June 4, Siya pressed for another visit, but Ketan's mother did not permit it. On June 14, she persuaded him to go again. During that visit, police said she allegedly tried to push him off a cliff, but Ketan managed to hold on to a bush. When he asked why she had pushed him, Siya allegedly told him there had been a snake and that she had acted to protect him. Ketan was killed on June 18.

The Girlfriend (2025), directed by Ravindran, featured actors Rashmika Mandanna, Dheekshith Shetty and Anu Emmanuel in key roles.