Ananya Panday's Old Koffee With Karan Clip Criticising Arjun Reddy Resurfaces After Vijay-Rashmika Episode

Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna made their debut as a couple on Koffee With Karan season 9 on October 21. The much-anticipated episode did not land the way ViRosh fans had expected. A section of the internet criticised Vijay for making subtle efforts to degrade his wife, Rashmika, who is a successful pan-India star. Some went on to call him a narcissist and urged Mandanna to be careful in their marriage. Instant comparisons were drawn between Vijay and his famous on-screen character Arjun Reddy from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 2017 action drama.

When Ananya Panday criticised Arjun Reddy

As the episode continues to raise questions over Vijay's off-screen personality and Rashmika's dedication towards him and their relationship, an old clip from Koffee With Karan season 7 resurfaced on social media. Deverakonda made his debut on the show hosted by Karan Johar with Ananya Panday. They were the lead pair of Liger, backed by Dharma Productions.

During the promotion of Liger on Koffee With Karan 7, Johar asked Ananya about her views on Arjun Reddy. The actress criticised the film's story and said she would never accept that kind of behaviour by the male partner in a relationship.

Ananya Panday isn't okay with abusive relationships

Panday did not mince her words and sharply condemned what Arjun Reddy preached. "I loved the songs of the film, and I thought their performances were amazing. I don't think that is something I would be okay with or accepting in a relationship at all. If I see it around me with any of my friends. I also think it is scary. The thing about cinema is that a lot of people will see it happening on screen and they think it is okay to start behaving like that in real life. For me, what is scary is that people believe that they see something on screen, it is okay to start behaving like that in real life," Ananya said.

When Karan asked whether she has met women who are okay having a partner like Arjun Reddy, she added, "If he (Vijay) is saying that people have come up to him, I am sure there are people like that. I am not surrounded by those people. I would not advise any of my friends to be okay with it. That's just how I am."

Vijay Deverakonda defended Arjun Reddy

On the other hand, Vijay defended Arjun Reddy by saying that he did not find it 'misogynistic or anti-feministic'. For him, 'it seemed like two people who had a very unique relationship'. The actor said, "That was their relationship and to them, it was love." When Karan asked him if his character raising a hand on his girlfriend was okay, he replied, "I am no one to say if it's right or wrong but they did it and they had a happily ever after life. They had a kid. You see the movie ending with a kid. But I'm not saying nobody should have a problem with it. You should have a problem with it."

Deverakonda further said he did not judge his character in the debatable movie. "As an actor, my job is to empathise with the character and not judge him. If I'm judging him, I can't play him. Any role that's bought to me, I try and empathise with the character and if I can, I take that role. If something about it is very conflicting and I don't understand it, or I don't agree with it, I won't do it. So if I did Arjun Reddy, I empathise with him. I understood why he behaved the way he did and the relationship he had with Preeti," he said on Koffee With Karan 7.

Vijay agreed that people would hate the film if they watched it after being in an abusive relationship. He said, "Imagine you have been in a relationship which was abusive and then you see this film, it's painful to watch this happening on screen. These are your worst nightmares as a woman, as a wife, or as a girlfriend and you see it playing out on a screen. You f**king hate it. And I understand that you disagree with it and I respect that you don't like it."

Having said so, the actor shared that he would never become the person Arjun Reddy was. "If it reached a point where I feel such anger towards a woman, I will walk out. It'll never reach a point where it gets any abusive in nature. You don't need that stress in life; if something is stressful, walk off," Deverakonda said.

Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna's Koffee With Karan 9 episode

Vijay received flak for boosting his demand for 100 proposals from Rashmika before agreeing to marry her. In the second episode of Koffee With Karan season 9, Rashmika said she has been a believer in the institution of marriage, and when conversations began at home, she felt it was the right time to tie the knot. However, Vijay asked her to propose to him 100 times. When Karan asked Rashmika whether she did so, the actress confirmed that she adhered to Deverakonda's request and kept asking him about marriage for a year.