Woman from original clip in Rashmika Mandanna's deepfake video reacts to controversy

A deepfake video featuring Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna has been circulating on the internet, drawing significant attention. The video initially featured British Indian social media personality Zara Patel, who has since expressed her deep disturbance regarding the manipulated content.

Zara Patel took to her Instagram story to address the issue, stating, “Hi all, It has come to my attention that someone created a deepfake video using my body and a popular Bollywood actresses face. I had no involvement with the deepfake video, and I'm deeply disturbed and upset by what is happening."  "I worry about the future of women and girls who now have to fear even more about putting themselves on social media. Please take a step back and fact-check what you see on the internet. Not everything on the internet is real." She urged people to exercise caution and fact-check information found online, emphasizing that not everything on the internet is real."

The manipulated video portrays Zara Patel in a black unitard, entering an elevator, with Rashmika Mandanna's face seamlessly edited onto hers using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Rashmika Mandanna also spoke out against the deepfake video, expressing her deep hurt and fear regarding the misuse of technology. Taking to her media platform X, the "Animal" actress shared her thoughts, saying, "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."

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."

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.…

— Rashmika Mandanna (@iamRashmika) November 6, 2023

What is a deepfake video?

A deepfake video is a clip in which a person's face (mainly) or body features are digitally altered so that they appear to be someone else. It is often used to spread false information about a celebrity or public figure to mislead audiences and people.

Deepfake video targeting actress Rashmika Mandanna

A "deepfake" video making rounds on social media used actresses Rashmika Mandanna's face and showed her entering an elevator. The video is misleading as the original clip involves social media influencer Zara Patel. Actress Rashmika Mandanna's face was used in the video by digitally manipulating it. As the video went viral, several people and netizens, called for action against such fake videos in general and the Rashmika Mandanna's video in particular.