Rashmika Mandanna's deepfake video shocks Indian film industry, celebs express grave concerns

It would be an understatement to say actor Rashmika Mandanna's deepfake video has sent a shock wave across the Indian film industry. In light of the controversy, several leading film stars from around the country have expressed solidarity with Rashmika, while also sharing concerns about the implications of this technology. 

Naga Chaitanya emphasised on the need to formulate and enforce some kind of a legal framework to check such misuse of technology. "It’s truly disheartening to see how technology is being misused and the thought of what this can progress to in the future is even scarier. Action has to be taken and some kind of law has to be enforced to protect people who have and will be a victim to this .Strength to you," said Naga Chaitanya, while reacting to the matter. 

Mrunal Thakur praised Rashmika for speaking out about the issue instead of ignoring it like others. She noted the growing menace of morphed images of actresses circulating on the internet, which signifies diminishing human values. "Thank you @rashmika_mandanna for speaking up, for addressing this issue that so far we have seen glimpses of but a lot of us chose to remain silent. Everyday there are morphed, edited videos of female actors floating around on internet zooming into inappropriate body parts. Where are we heading as a community, as a society? We may be actresses in the "limelight" but at the end of the day each one of us are human. Why aren't we talking," asked Mrunal. 

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Singer and #MeToo activist Chinmayi Sripaada believed that there was an urgent need to educate people about the risks of technology misuse. In a lengthy social media post, she highlighted that deepfake video is a double-edged sword, capable of both humour and violating one's dignity. 

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 "In a country where women’s bodies are exploited everyday, Deep Fake is going to be the next weapon they use to target and harass and blackmail girls to extort, blackmail and rape; Their clueless families in one small village or town is not going to understand when the so called maanam / or honour is at stake," rued Chinmayi. 

Earlier, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was one of the first celebrities to come out in support of his Goodbye co-star Rashmika. "yes this is a strong case for legal," he demanded reacting to Rashmika's deepfake video. 

In a heartfelt statement, Rashmika noted that she was now in a better place to handle such a challenge, thanks to her support system while wondering how she would have dealt with such a threat as a young girl. "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 said.