Filmmaker and actor Rahul Ravindran who directed movies like ‘The Girlfriend’ has deactivated X (formerly Twitter) after receiving a disturbing death threat targeting his children, bringing renewed attention to the growing toxicity on social media.
The controversy began amid online discussions surrounding the recent Pune murder case involving Ketan Agarwal. During the debate, a social media user tagged Rahul and questioned whether he would make films highlighting injustices faced by men, just as he has supported conversations around women’s issues. Rahul responded by stating that patriarchal ideology continues to have a strong influence on society.
His response triggered sharp criticism from a section of social media users. The backlash soon escalated into personal attacks against Rahul and his wife, singer Chinmayi Sripaada. The situation took a disturbing turn when one user allegedly posted a threat saying, “We will kill the children,” directly targeting the couple’s family.
Rahul shared a screenshot of the threatening message on X along with a lengthy note describing the emotional impact it had on him. He revealed that he had been watching the Brazil vs Japan football match and had opened X only to check sports updates. Instead, he accidentally came across the threatening notification.
The filmmaker admitted that the message left him shaken. He said he was overwhelmed with anger and pain, and for a brief moment even found himself thinking about tracking down the person responsible for the threat. Rahul added that although he usually manages to stay calm during online criticism, this incident affected him deeply and left him staring blankly for a long time without even paying attention to the match.
Reflecting on the incident, Rahul said it took a long time for his heart rate to return to normal. He also questioned whether he was overreacting, but ultimately realised that exposing himself and his family to such hatred was no longer worth it. He explained that he had tolerated negativity on the platform for years because he relied on X for sports-related updates, but the latest incident convinced him that the platform was harming both his mental well-being and his family’s peace.
Announcing his decision to quit X, Rahul said he would no longer allow social media to disturb his peace of mind and immediately deleted the app from his phone.
The incident has sparked concern within the film industry, with many expressing alarm over the increasing levels of online abuse and threats directed at public figures and their families.
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