Rashmika's rumoured boyfriend and actor Vijay Deverakonda reacts to deepfake video controversy

Rashmika's rumoured boyfriend and actor Vijay Deverakonda has reacted to the viral deepfake involving the 'Pushpa' actor. On Instagram stories, the actor sought immediate action against offenders who involve in such activities. "Extremely important steps for the future. This shouldn't happen to anyone. Also an efficient accessible cyber wing for quick crackdowns and punishment will make people more secure,” wrote the 'Kushi' actor while sharing a news report regarding the Central government's intervention in the matter.

Rashmika Mandanna's deepfake video has generated a lot of concern on social media. Several celebrities, including Amitabh Bachchan has sought for a legal framework to curb the threat of deepfake videos, which is a huge threat to people's, especially women's privacy and security.

On Monday, Mandanna wrote a lengthy note on the microblogging site X, saying she was "really hurt" to see the video, which shows a woman, dressed in a black workout onesie, stepping inside an elevator. The woman's face was morphed using artificial intelligence (AI) to resemble the actor.

"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," Mandanna further said in her post.

Deepfake is a digital method where users can replace one person's likeness convincingly with that of another using AI technology. Patel, on whose body Mandanna's face was morphed, also condemned the deepfake video and said she had 'no involvement' with the clip.