British-Indian influencer Zara Patel has reacted to her video being used in actress Rashmika Mandanna’s deepfake.

Taking to Instagram, she shared her concern about the deepfake video and said that she was “deeply distressed and upset by what is happening”. She also expressed her worry “about the future of women and girls who now have to fear even more about putting themselves on social media”. In the next few lines, she urged people to fact-check information before blindly believing what they see on the Internet.

Patel also clarified that she had no involvement in the creation of the video.

Rashmika Mandanna, whose face was morphed into the deepfake video, has also reacted to it. Taking to X, she called the experience “extremely scary” and expressed concerns about the potential for harm by the way technology is misused. She expressed gratitude to her family, friends and support network, but also emphasized the need to address this issue as a community.

The deepfake video of Rashmika Mandanna provoked outrage from the online community and prompted calls for legal action, which were supported by superstar Amitabh Bachchan.