Mrunal Thakur supports Rashmika Mandanna; calls for action against deepfake videos

In a powerful show of solidarity, actress Mrunal Thakur has come forward to extend her support to Rashmika Mandanna, who recently found herself at the center of controversy due to a deepfake video featuring her manipulated face. The incident shed light on the pressing issue of deepfake technology and its implications in the entertainment industry.

Mrunal Thakur, taking to her Instagram stories, praised Rashmika Mandanna for taking a strong stance against the viral deepfake video that circulated on the internet. The actress expressed her condemnation for those resorting to such unethical actions and drew attention to the daily challenges female actors face when their images are morphed and manipulated without their consent.

Her story read,  "Shame on people who resort to such things, it shows that there's no conscience left at all in such people. 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. Every day there are morphed, edited videos of female actors floating around on the 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 about it? Don't remain silent, now is not the time."

The deepfake incident involving Rashmika Mandanna had earlier garnered attention on social media. Journalist Abhishek Kumar had exposed a deepfake video initially believed to feature the actress but later revealed to be of British-Indian influencer Zara Patel. The incident sparked discussions about the urgent need for legal frameworks to combat deepfake technology in India.

Amitabh Bachchan, one of Bollywood's legendary figures, endorsed Abhishek Kumar's investigation, highlighting the deceptive realism of deepfake technology and the potential to mislead viewers.