India, Nov. 14 -- Actor-director Rahul Ravindran's romantic drama The Girlfriend, starring Rashmika Mandanna and Dheekshith Shetty, released in cinemas on November 7. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics but received a largely positive response from audiences. Recently, a video of a young girl recreating Rashmika's look from the film, and later removing her dupatta after the screening (like Rashmika does in the climax), surfaced online, prompting widespread speculation about whether it was a PR stunt. Now, the film's director has responded.

In the video in question, the young girl tells Rahul after the screening, "My friends and I came dressed as Bhoomi (Rashmika's character), but after watching the climax, I feel like taking of...