Pushpa actor Rashmika Mandanna has lashed out at the Indian government after her deepfake video set the internet on fire.
Reacting to the development, the popular actor said, “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.”
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She added, “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 could I ever tackle this.
“We need to address this as a community and with urgency before more of us are affected by such identity theft.”
In the deepfake video, its creator had superimposed Rashmika’s face on another woman, who was seen entering an elevator. After registering her outrage, the actor also thanked her supporters for standing with her on the controversy.
One user wrote, “#RashmikaMandanna deepfake video has shown that unregulated AI tools can create a havoc in country like India where infodemic is rampant. India as a country is struggling in controlling menace of fake news, misinformation and disinformation. Imagine deepfake being used by unscrupulous elements for religious and political purposes. Fake spreads faster than fact. That’s the tragedy.”
Replying to the user, Rashmika wrote, “I agree and it’s scary but having the leaders we have today, the only hope is that we as a community bring a change.”
Thanking singer Chinmayi Sripaada, she wrote, “Thank you @Chinmayi for creating awareness on this🙏🏼 hoping strict action is taken and regulated guidelines are put into place.”
The IT Minister in the Centre’s Narendra Modi government, Rajiv Chandrasekhar, tweeted, “PM @narendramodi ji’s Govt is committed to ensuring Safety and Trust of all Digital Nagriks using Internet.”