5 min readKochiUpdated: Jun 30, 2026 01:40 PM IST
Days after a group of male netizens launched a scathing attack against Rahul Ravindran over his widely acclaimed movie, The Girlfriend (2025) — which found itself caught in the middle of online debates surrounding the Ketan Agarwal-Siya Goyal case — the actor-director has announced that he is deleting the X (formerly Twitter) app from his phone. Rahul maintained that he was taking this drastic step due to abusive messages, including death threats targeting his children.
Sharing a screenshot of vile comments made by a Twitterati wishing harm on Rahul’s children, the actor-director expressed that the remarks filled him with immense rage, making him want to “do unspeakable things to him.” Noting that he “didn’t like the guy” he became after reading the comments, Rahul said he did not want any platform or person to have that kind of power over him.
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‘Filled with rage’: Rahul Ravindran on why he deleted X
He wrote, “I kept staring at it for a long time. I kept filling up with rage. I wanted to track this guy down and do unspeakable things to him. The urge was very real. I was, involuntarily, vividly imagining scenarios in my head. My usual response to anger is to tell myself to calm down. But I didn’t want to this time. My head was very hot. A long time passed, just sitting there and staring at the game on TV without watching it. Very slowly, my heart rate returned to some semblance of normalcy.”
The actor-director added, “I am done with this app. I’ve been wanting out for a while. The only reason I couldn’t is that it’s the best source of news for sports. Especially Indian sports other than Cricket. But I am done. I didn’t like the guy I was for half an hour after I read that tweet. I didn’t like my thoughts. And I am too fiercely self-respecting to let something have power over me. Deleting this app from my phone right away.”
How The Girlfriend, Ketan Agarwal case sparked backlash
The whole controversy started when a Twitterati demanded that Rahul make a film on “the atrocities of women on men,” referring to the murder of Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal, allegedly by his fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her lover, Chetan Chaudhary.
For the unversed, Rahul Ravindran’s The Girlfriend, headlined by Rashmika Mandanna, revolves around a young woman whose romantic relationship gradually becomes manipulative and emotionally toxic.
In response, Rahul drew a distinction between individual crimes and systemic issues faced by women. “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 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,” he wrote.
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Chinmayi Sripada steps in to support her husband
Subsequently, his wife, singer-voice actor Chinmayi Sripada, also stepped forward to support Rahul. “There is a reason I am telling women here, especially the younger girls, to find a man like Rahul or not marry at all. Please don’t waste your life, time and energy. There are a few men like him; find them. The rest are not worth your time, energy and reproductive rights. Couldn’t care less if I get abused. I am happily married. I wish the happiness and such a man for other girls. Of course, I guess now the incels will start haemorrhaging on my replies,” she wrote.
However, this led to a wave of online attacks against Chinmayi and eventually their children. Rahul and Chinmayi tied the knot in 2014, and they were blessed with twins in 2022.
Disclaimer: This report touches upon sensitive themes involving severe online harassment, threats, and emotional distress. The content is presented strictly for informational and entertainment journalism purposes and is non-advisory in nature.
Actor-filmmaker Rahul Ravindran with his wife, singer-voice actor Chinmayi Sripada. (Credit: Instagram/@rahulr_23)