Unveiling the Reasons Behind Rashmika Mandanna's Stand Against Deepfake Controversy: 'I Am Really Scared...'

In November 2023, a deepfake video featuring Rashmika Mandanna circulated widely, sparking shock and concern. The individual responsible for the viral clip has since been apprehended. Rashmika has now disclosed the reason behind addressing the issue, stating during her appearance on We Are Yuvaa that discussing such incidents is crucial for raising awareness. The Pushpa actress emphasized the importance of speaking out to shed light on the issue.

“So many times this happens, and you speak about it, and someone is like, ‘But you chose this job!’ Or you know, ‘This is how it’s going to be.’ ‘Like, why are you talking about it now?’ In my head, the only thing I was thinking about was that if this happened to me in college, I wouldn’t have anyone to come and support me. Because something in our culture is that what society thinks of us is supposed to be us. Like we have to be the way and react how society wants us to, you know, think and react, right?” Rashmika said.

“So imagine some girl in her college had to go through the same thing. And I am like, dude, I am really scared for them. And if I am speaking about it, so there’s at least like 41 million people who know that, okay, there’s something called the deepfake. And this is not right. There’s something that is affecting emotions and causing stress in people in general. So I think bringing out that awareness was important to me,” the actress added.

For those unfamiliar, a manipulated video featuring Rashmika Mandanna circulated widely on social media in November of the previous year. The video depicted a woman, with Rashmika's face, entering an elevator while dressed in a form-fitting outfit. However, it was later confirmed that the viral clip was a deepfake. The incident gained significant attention, especially when superstar Amitabh Bachchan addressed it on the microblogging site X, urging legal action to be taken.

Subsequently, an FIR was lodged regarding the incident, citing violations under sections 465 (forgery) and 469 (forgery with the intent to harm reputation) of the Indian Penal Code, along with sections 66C and 66E of the Information Technology Act. The case was registered at the IFSO unit of the Delhi Police’s Special Cell. The individual responsible for producing the deepfake video of the actress was apprehended by the Delhi Police on January 21, 2024.