Vishnu Manchu Calls for Industry Action on AI Deepfakes After Janhvi Kapoor Video Row

Actor and Movie Artistes Association (MAA) president Vishnu Manchu has urged the Telugu film industry to establish a permanent mechanism against AI deepfakes, online impersonation and coordinated malicious campaigns, following outrage over an altered video featuring Janhvi Kapoor and Jr NTR from Chuttamalle.

In a detailed post on X, Manchu described the incident involving the song from Devara: Part 1 as a warning that required a collective response.

“Freedom of expression must always be protected. But anonymity cannot become a weapon to abuse, defame, sexually violate or deliberately destroy someone,” he wrote.

A PERMANENT SYSTEM AGAINST DEEPFAKES

Manchu called on the Telugu Film Chamber, Producers Council, MAA and other stakeholders to develop an industry-wide system for addressing deepfakes, impersonation and deliberate online sabotage.

He argued that the speed of technological change made responses limited to individual videos or complaints inadequate.

“The present deepfake incident makes the larger conversation urgent. And unfortunately, this will not be the last deepfake. Technology is moving too quickly for us to believe deleting one video or filing one complaint solves the problem,” he said.

Manchu also backed a discussion on actor Ram Pothineni’s suggestion of Aadhaar-linked accountability for online identities, while stressing that freedom of expression must remain protected.

CRITICISM AND COORDINATED CAMPAIGNS

The MAA president extended his concerns to what he described as organised efforts to damage films and filmmakers before audiences could judge their work.

“A film should succeed or fail because audiences watch it and decide. Criticism, reviews, trolling and disagreement are part of cinema today. But a coordinated campaign to damage a film before audiences have even seen it is not criticism. It is sabotage,” he wrote.

He cited Sundeep Kishan’s public allegations of paid negativity against him and his film, and said The Paradise had sought court protection against defamatory and damaging content ahead of release.

Manchu said audiences were entitled to dislike films and express strong criticism, but appealed against campaigns aimed at undermining a release.

“Watch the film. Love it. Hate it. Criticise it brutally if you genuinely feel that way. But first, LET THE FILM RELEASE,” he wrote.

MAA COMPILING INFORMATION ON ACCOUNTS

Manchu said MAA was gathering information on accounts and networks repeatedly involved in targeted abuse and malicious campaigns, including those allegedly misusing actors’ photographs and identities to mislead users.

He also criticised hostility between fan groups and anonymous pages presenting themselves as neutral.

“If one Telugu film loses, Telugu cinema does not win. The cake is big enough for everyone to have a piece,” he said.

Calling for sustained action, he added: “We may compete every Friday. But we cannot spend the rest of the week trying to destroy one another. Let audiences decide the fate of our films. Let cinema win.”

JANHVI KAPOOR SPEAKS OUT ON CONSENT

Kapoor addressed the altered video in an Instagram story on Sunday, condemning the use of technology to create and circulate content without consent.

“The criminal misuse of technology to objectify women and circulate fictionalised content without consent is deeply violating, bordering on sexual assault,” she said.

The actor said almost every woman in the film industry had experienced some form of such behaviour and stressed that consent must be respected.

“Consent, choice, and respect for a woman’s body should be among the basic notions of humanity. Yet somehow, they continue to be treated as complicated. They are not,” Kapoor said.

With inputs from ANI