It is not about being a feminist. Arjun Reddy really had problematic characters. It worked due to it's rawness. And it was fresh at that time.
That character worked solely because how one dimensional every other character in the film was. Arjun Reddy being free spirited rebel woke everyone who ever wanted to be that.
His character wouldn't have worked against another strong character. If the girl was an Alpha or an exact female version of him then it would've spelt trouble. In the end, the film serves for every male fantasy & that's exactly why that climax worked.
That's exactly why the leniency for the first time around. Making it repetitive was obviously going to bring out other reaction. Arjun Reddy itself got negative reviews from it's users after the hype reduced.