Zara Patel, The Real Woman In Rashmika Mandanna’s Deepfake Video FINALLY Speaks Up

The dangers of Artificial Intelligence are real and there is no denying that. While many people believe that AI has been the greatest creation in this time of modernity it does pose great dangers that are too tough to tackle.

Privacy concerns, security risks, and the potential for existential threats are to name some of them. The recent deepfake video of Rashmika Mandanna is a testament to the grave drawbacks of AI.

British-Indian influencer Zara Patel is the one whose video was used to create deepfake of actress Rashmika Mandanna

Not long ago, a deepfake video featuring Rashmika Mandanna made it to every social media platform. The video was created with such perfection that at first it was too tough to say that it was fake. Furthermore, to say that the video spread like wildfire would be a sheer understatement.

The video is actually of a British-Indian influencer named Zara Patel. In the deepfake video, the influencer’s face has been seamlessly transformed into that of Mandanna as she steps into an elevator. The origin of this deepfake remains undisclosed. The original video, initially posted by Patel on Instagram back in October, serves as a reference for comparison.

Here have a look at it,

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Zara Patel (@zaarapatellll)

Zara Patel finally speaks up on the matter

Zara Patel, the British-Indian woman featured in the video that was manipulated into a viral deepfake featuring actor Rashmika Mandanna, expressed her profound disquiet over the incident. She took to her Instagram story and affirmed how she had no involvement in the deepfake’s creation and was genuinely disturbed and distressed by its emergence.

The influencer wrote as we quote,

“Hi all, it has come to my attention that someone created a deepfake video using my body and a popular Bollywood actress’s face. I had no involvement with the deepfake video, and I’m deeply disturbed and upset by what is happening”

By encouraging social media users to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of content before sharing it, she further wrote,

“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. I’m deeply upset by what is happening.”

On November 6th, Rashmika Mandanna took to X to raise her concern on the deepfake video

By tagging the cyber police in her tweet, actress Rashmika Mandanna made a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). She shared how hurt she is as she wrote,

“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 further added how difficult it would have been for her to tackle this situation if she was in a school or college. She wrote as we quote,

“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.”

She concluded by writing,

“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 are your thoughts on this and the dangerous potential of AI? Do share your thoughts via the comments below.