Rashmika Mandanna to Promote Cyber Safety After Viral Deepfake Incident: 'As Someone Who Experienced This...'

Actress Rashmika Mandanna, who was a victim of a deepfake video earlier this year, has been appointed the National Ambassador for promoting cyber safety by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. She is committed to raising awareness about various cybercrime threats, including online fraud, deepfake videos, cyberbullying, and AI-generated malicious content. Rashmika’s experience has sparked conversations about the misuse of technology, leading many celebrities to express their concerns.

In a statement, Rashmika said, “Cybercrime is a dangerous and pervasive threat that affects individuals, businesses, and communities worldwide. As someone who has experienced this, I am dedicated to raising awareness about these issues and promoting the message of cyber safety to drive positive change. It is crucial that we come together to combat these threats and protect our digital spaces.”

In November last year, a morphed video of Rashmika Mandanna has gone viral. On Sunday, a deepfake video of the Pushpa star surfaced online. In the unverified video, the woman with Rashmika’s face was seen getting into a lift, wearing a fitted outfit. The video instantly went viral and a few social media users came forward to clarify that the video has been deepfaked.

Rashmika had also reacted to it. Taking to her Instagram Stories, the actress had written, 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. 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.”

Rashmika Mandanna, one of the most sought-afte actresses in India, debuted in the 2016 Kannada film Kirik Party and gained fame with Pushpa: The Rise in 2021. Her next projects include the sequel Pushpa: The Rule and the historical film Chhaava, featuring Vicky Kaushal.