Hyderabad: A video of actor Rashmika Mandanna entering an elevator has caused a wave of controversy. However, it was soon discovered that this video was actually a meticulously engineered deepfake, resulting in calls for action from prominent actors, government officials, and fact-check journalists. The focal point of this uproar has become Rashmika's response to the deepfake video, which has garnered millions of views.
On Monday, Rashmika took to her Instagram Story and reacted to the deepfake video that went viral on Monday, November 5. She wrote, "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 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 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," she added.