In a powerful statement on Monday, Bollywood actress Rashmika Mandanna reacted to a viral deepfake video of herself, calling it “extremely scary” and a “threat to each one of us.”
The video, which has been circulating on social media, shows Mandanna’s face morphed onto the body of another woman called Zara Patel. It is so realistic that it is difficult to tell that it is not authentic.
In a post on Instagram, Mandanna wrote that she was “hurt” and “scared” by the video, and that it was a reminder of the dangers of technology misuse.
“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,” she wrote.
Mandanna went on to say that she was grateful for her family and friends, who are her “protection and support system.” However, she acknowledged that the situation would have been much more difficult for her if it had happened when she was younger.
I feel really hurt to share this and have to talk about the deepfake video of me being spread online.
— Rashmika Mandanna (@iamRashmika) November 6, 2023
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.…
“But if this happened to me when I was in school or college, I genuinely can’t imagine how could I ever tackle this,” she wrote. “We need to address this as a community and with urgency before more of us are affected by such identity theft.”
Mandanna’s post has sparked a conversation about the dangers of deepfake videos and the need for greater regulation of the technology. Many people have expressed their support for Mandanna and called for action to be taken against the creators and distributors of deepfake videos.
Here’s the video:
If you just pause or see the video at the very first second, you can see Zara Patel and then Rashmika Mandana and it clearly shows that it is not a video of Rashmika as there’s a lot of difference in the figure and height. However, the video just went viral and causing a buzz in Bollywood.
In a separate statement, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said that it is aware of the viral video and that it is a “serious issue.” The ministry added that it is working on developing regulations to address the misuse of deepfake technology.
The incident is a reminder of the growing threat of deepfake videos and the need for vigilance. As the technology becomes more sophisticated, it is important to be aware of the potential risks and to be able to identify and report deepfake videos.
