Kabir Singh-inspired 'TikTok Villain' murders a girl

TikTok user Ashwani Kumar alias Jonny Dada, 33, has created a lot of buzz on social media. 'Jonny Dada', who was on the run after murdering three people in four days in Bijnor shot himself dead during police checking. Among those who have been killed includes a former air hostess, Nikita Sharma, 27, whom he shot inside her house in Bijnor's Daulatabad.

His aggressive TikTok videos and posts on his Facebook wall looked inspired by Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Hindi directorial Kabir Singh. He would often share photographs of Shahid Kapoor from Kabir Singh giving a sense that the character's aggression resonated with him.

The incident has again triggered debate around one of the controversial movies of the year. Kabir Singh faced a lot of wrath from movie critics and audience for 'promoting toxic masculinity' and 'misogynistic' content.

In one of his videos, the TikTok user reportedly mouthed Shahid's dialogue from the film, ''Jo mera nahin ho sakta, usse kisi aur ke hone ka mauka nahin doonga."

When director Sandeep Reddy Vanga was contacted by mid-day, he said the incident is unfortunate but none of his films endorse killings. At the same time, he added that as filmmakers they need to be responsible for the repercussions of their craft and art. "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," he said.

Ashwani Kumar shot himself dead with the revolver he was carrying while travelling on a bus to Dehradun. He was on his way to escape from Bijnor.

A senior police officer told Hindustan Times that Ashwani was infamous in his area for his aggression. “Everybody who had even a small dispute with him was suspecting that he would be his next target,” the officer said. “His social media messages hinted at his alleged acts of revenge and his plans to commit crimes,” he further added.