Rashmika Mandanna Urges Measures Against Alarming Deepfake Video

Indian film star Rashmika Mandanna has raised concerns over a deepfake video circulating on social media, describing the experience as “extremely scary.”

The doctored video featured Mandanna’s face superimposed on footage from an Instagram clip of a British-Indian woman, Zara Patel.

India’s IT minister has highlighted the growing threat of deepfake content as a “more damaging form of misinformation.”

Mandanna, a 27-year-old actress acclaimed for her performances in Telugu and Kannada cinema, is set to appear alongside Ranbir Kapoor in the upcoming Bollywood movie “Animal,” scheduled for release on December 1st.

The deceptive nature of the video was first identified by journalist Abhishek Kumar from Alt News, a fact-checking initiative. Kumar exposed the falsified video on X (formerly known as Twitter), showcasing the original content featuring Ms. Patel entering a lift, which was manipulated to include Mandanna’s likeness.

Kumar’s examination revealed the video to be a sophisticated deepfake, one likely to deceive everyday social media consumers. He called for a robust legal framework to combat such technological abuses.

Supporting Mandanna, Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, with whom she shared screen space last year, echoed the need for legal intervention.

On X, Mandanna expressed her fear and concern for the potential harm such technological misuse could bring, not just to celebrities but to anyone online. She reflected on the potential impact of such an event during her formative years and expressed gratitude for the support of her loved ones. Mandanna called for immediate action to prevent further incidents of digital impersonation.

Zara Patel, whose original video was used for the deepfake, also conveyed her distress and concern for women’s and girls’ security on social media.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, India’s IT Minister, has declared deepfakes to be an emergent and pernicious form of fake news that needs to be urgently addressed by digital platforms.

Under the current IT regulations, it’s mandatory for social media networks to filter out any misinformation shared by users. Failure to comply with these rules could lead to legal repercussions for the platforms under Indian legislation.