Nushrratt Bharuccha recently expressed her concerns about Rashmika Mandanna's deepfake case, calling it "scary" in an interview with News18's Rising Bharat Summit 2025. She highlighted the alarming ease with which technology can be misused. The controversy began in 2023 when a morphed video of Rashmika Mandanna went viral on social media, depicting her in a compromising situation. The video was created using a British-Indian girl's original video, which was then manipulated with Rashmika's face.
The incident led to a nationwide discussion on AI ethics, with Delhi Police apprehending suspects involved in creating and uploading the deepfake video. Four individuals were questioned, but they were later released as they were only the uploaders, not the creators. The main accused was arrested in Andhra Pradesh, following a complaint from the Delhi Commission for Women.
Opening up about the case, Nushrratt said, “Han ji han ji ek dum. It’s very scary and that’s what I was saying. It's unreal that women at different ages keep having something or other things to deal with. Khatam hi nahi hota. But when it comes to Deepfake and AI it’s the world I don’t understand. I wasn’t born into it. I have not studied it. Jab mere padhai chal rahe the toh books se padhte the aur computer thoda milta tha. I have no idea. Agar mere sath aisa kuch hua toh I don’t have a set of course or action to take to be able to deal with it. I think we are in a time and space where the internet is blooming so much, these technologies have boomed so much. Hume to sar, pair bhi nai pata ki kish add tak yeh ja sakta hai. In a situation like this, I would like to rely on cyber crime or people to help me to understand, to stop it, to find the culprit. Matlab we need that support. And I hope we have that support.”
A deepfake video featuring Rashmika Mandanna went viral, showing her getting into a lift in a fitted outfit. However, the video was soon exposed as a deepfake. The incident sparked widespread concern, with celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Nani, Vijay Deverakonda, Naga Chaitanya and Mrunal Thakur demanding legal action against the creators.
An FIR was filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act in connection with the viral deepfake video of Rashmika Mandanna. Delhi Police requested META to provide the URL of the account that shared the video. Rashmika expressed her distress, calling the incident "scary" and highlighting the vulnerability of individuals to technology misuse. She emphasised the need for the community to address this issue urgently.