Rahul Ravindran Dismisses Comparisons Between The Girlfriend And Arjun Reddy: ‘Thought Of Story Before…’

Rashmika Mandanna and Dheekshith Shetty starrer ‘The Girlfriend’ is all set to hit the theatres soon. The trailer of the film, directed by Rahul Ravindran, was unveiled last week, and soon after the trailer released,

many netizens compared it to Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film ‘Arjun Reddy’ starring Vijay Deverakonda. Now, director Rahul Ravindran has cleared the air, dismissing comparisons between the two films. He said that while the trailer may have possibly given netizens ‘Arjun Reddy vibe’, there is absolutely no similarity between the two films. He also shared that he thought of the story for his film much before Arjun Reddy was released.

Rahul Ravindran On Comparisons Between The Girlfriend And Arjun Reddy

While speaking with NDTV, Rahul Ravindran dismissed The Girlfriend’s comparisons to Vijay Deverakonda starrer ‘Arjun Reddy’. He said, “Arjun Reddy is a cult film which was a game breaker in cinema and it’s a much bigger film. My film is not close to it and honestly, this so-called similarity struck me only after the people on social media pointed it out. I actually thought of the story much before Arjun Reddy came about.”

He further added, “The trailer of The Girlfriend has deliberately been cut in a non-linear way and it possibly gives that Arjun Reddy vibe – but it is not like that film at all. Rashmika Mandanna in The Girlfriend is not an antithesis to Vijay Deverakonda in Arjun Reddy.”

Rahul Ravindran On Rahsmika Mandanna And Vijay Deverakonda’s Engagement Rumours

The director was also asked whether rumours about Rashmika and Vijay’s engagement were true. He replied, “I don’t know about the rumours and if they are true. Rashmika is a colleague and Vijay Deverakonda is more than an acquaintance for sure. He was very, very sweet to lend his voice for the teaser of The Girlfriend last year. I am the last person to actually comment on someone’s personal life.”

About The Girlfriend

The Girlfriend is written and directed by Rahul Ravindran. Rashmika Mandanna stars alongside Dheekshith Shetty, with a supporting cast that includes Koushik Mahata, Rohini, and Rao Ramesh. The film’s cinematography is handled by Krishnan Vasant, while Hesham Abdul Wahab has composed the music. The production design is managed by S. Rama Krishna and Monika Nigotre, with Chota K Prasad serving as editor. The project is produced by Dheeraj Mogilineni and Vidya Koppineedi, and Allu Aravind is the presenter of the film. The film will hit theatres on November 7, 2025.