Image instagrammed by Rashmika Mandanna. (Courtesy: rashmika_mandanna)
Rashmika Mandanna has opened up about the debate surrounding deepfake videos. The actress was one of the first celebrities whose morphed video surfaced online, earlier this month. The deepfake clip was created using artificial intelligence. Now, Rashmika, at a recent promotion event for Animal in Hyderabad, expressed her gratitude towards the industry friends who raised their voices against the issue, reported India Today. The actress' statement came a day after a clip with the morphed face of Alia was released on social media. FYI: Alia is married to Rashmika's Animal co-star Ranbir Kapoor. Earlier, a deepfake of Katrina Kaif had also cropped up on the Internet. Reacting to the videos and how the technology has been misused, Rashmika said, “Deepfakes have been around for a while and we've normalised them, but it isn't okay. I always wondered who would even care if I chose to speak up and point out that it isn't okay. So, I'm glad people from across the film industry have supported me." Rashmika has also urged women to seek help if something like this happens to them. "I understand now how important it is to speak up. I want to urge women to take the help they need when it happens,” the actress was quoted as saying. The statement came a day after a clip with the morphed face of Alia was released on social media.
Rashmika Mandanna, after her deepfake video had surfaced online, had issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter). It read, “I feel really hurt to share this and have to talk about the deepfake video of me being spread online. Something like this is honestly extremely scary not only for me but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused. Today, as a woman and as an actor, I am thankful for my family, friends and well-wishers who are my protection and support system. But if this happened to me when I was in school or college, I genuinely can't imagine how I could ever tackle this. We need to address this as a community and with urgency before more of us are affected by such identity theft.”
The deepfake video, in question, appears to show Rashmika Mandanna entering an elevator. Rashmika's Goodbye co-star was among the first to call for legal action. Later, it was revealed that the woman, in the video, was British-Indian influencer Zara Patel. Her face has been morphed into Rashmika's using deepfake technology.
Several celebrities, including Kajol and Sara Tendulkar, have fallen prey to deepfake.