Sandeep Reddy Vanga on Kabir Singh-inspired ‘Tik Tok villain’ killing woman: ‘My films don’t support murder’

Sandeep Vanga Reddy has defended Shahid Kapoor-starrer Kabir Singh, claiming that his film never endorsed ‘killing anyone’.

Days after Ashwani Kashyap, notorious as the ‘TikTok Villain’ for his angry videos and who killed three people including an air hostess he was obsessed with, killed himself, social media is busy discussing his Kabir Singh connect. Known as ‘Johnny Dada’, Kashyap would often post images of actor Shahid Kapoor from the film. In one of his videos, he also repeated the dialogue from the film: ”Jo mera nahi ho sakta, use kisi aur ke hone ka mauka nahi doonga (Who is not mine will not be someone else’s either).”

Shahid Kapoor featured in the lead role in Sandeep Vanga Reddy’s Kabir Singh.

Sandeep Vanga Reddy has directed Shahid Kapoor’s Kabir Singh and the original, Arjun Reddy.

The film’s director Sandeep Reddy Vanga has now expressed regret over the murder, saying his films -- Kabir Singh and Arjun Reddy -- don’t endorse killing anyone. Reacting to the fresh backlash, Vanga told Mid Day, “I feel sorry for the girl and her family. It is unfortunate that people have lost their lives. As filmmakers, we are responsible for our craft and need to consider the repercussions, but never have my films [endorsed] killing anyone. Kabir Singh or even Arjun Reddy [the Telugu original] never [supported] murder.”

Kashyap murdered Nitika Sharma, a Dubai-based flight attendant he was obsessed with and who was to get married in December. As the Bijnor police investigated Kumar’s background — who was wanted for three murders in Uttar Pradesh and subsequently committed suicide last week — it came to light that he would often post images of Shahid Kapoor from Kabir Singh. It appeared that the character’s aggressive beliefs resonated with him.

Follow @htshowbiz for more