- Ketan Agarwal was killed by his fiancee Siya Goyal and her lover at Lohagad Fort in Maharashtra
- The murder was initially reported as an accidental fall during a trek by the police
- Director Rahul Ravindran said 'The Girlfriend' addresses women's societal oppression, not crimes by women
The Ketan Agarwal murder sent shockwaves across the country earlier this week. Ketan Agarwal was killed by his fiancee Siya Goyal and her lover, Chetan Babulal Chaudhary by pushing him into a valley from Lohagad Fort in Maharashtra's Sahyadri range, according to police. The incident was initially reported as an accidental fall during a trek.
The case continues to be in the news with more details coming to light every day.
Art often imitates life, and one X user dragged director Rahul Ravindran's Telugu film The Girlfriend, starring Rashmika Mandanna, into the Ketan Agarwal-Siya Goyal case to make a point against the narrative of the critically-acclaimed movie.
The user shared a still from The Girlfriend to suggest that films like these highlight certain stories in favour of women to "hide" the reality like the Pune murder case.
Another user then tagged Rahul Ravindran, asking him to "do one movie on atrocities of women on men".
I don't claim to know everything bro… so educate me if I am wrong. But I don't see atrocities of ‘women' on ‘men' at all. 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… https://t.co/dwx5Ig3kIu
— Rahul Ravindran (@23_rahulr) June 25, 2026
In his response, the filmmaker said he doesn't "see atrocities of 'women' on 'men' at all".
"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," he wrote in his lengthy note.
Rahul 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."
The director also explained why he didn't show 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," he concluded his post.
Coming back to the Pune murder case, 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 say she allegedly tried to push him off a cliff. Ketan managed to hold on to a bush. When he asked why she had pushed him, Siya claimed there had been a snake and that she had acted to protect him. Ketan was killed on June 18.
Further investigation in the case is underway.
