Last Updated: November 07, 2023, 10:34 IST
A collage of Zara Patel and Rashmika Mandanna
Rashmika Mandanna’s fake video has taken all over the internet. Celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Naga Chaitnaya has also reacted to it.
Rashmika Mandanna has been in the news since her deepfake video went viral on social media. On Sunday, a deepfake video of the Pushpa star surfaced online. In the unverified video, a woman with Rashmika’s face was seen getting into a lift, wearing a fitted outfit. Hours after the video went viral, the Animal actress took to social media and stated that it was scary how technology was being misused and that it posed a threat to each one of us.
However, there is also curiosity behind the woman in the original video. We have learned that the woman in the original video is Zara Patel, a British social media influencer. She boasts of a massive social media following and shared the video, which has now been morphed with Rashmika’s face, back in October. Here’s everything to know about Zara Patel:
Who is Zara Patel?
Zara Patel is a British-Indian Instagram influencer known for her eye-grabbing posts, according to media reports. Zara Patel enjoys more than 400K followers on Instagram. She is a full-time engineer, according to her bio. She is an avid social media user who often posts pictures and videos in which she’s flaunting her curves.
The controversy:
On Sunday, a journalist shared a clip after which the row started. The journalist published the video on his X account, adding, “There is an urgent need for a legal and regulatory framework to deal with deepfake in India.” Amitabh Bachchan also stood up for Rashmika and demanded legal action.
Real Video:
On October 9, Zara posted the viral video on her Instagram account. In the video, she is seen entering the lift in a black colour outfit. She had shared the post with the caption, “POV: you almost close the elevator door on me again….”
Rashmika’s reaction:
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Rashmika 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. 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.”
