Janhvi Kapoor calls AI-altered video 'serious violation', says it is almost equivalent to sexual assault
Actor Janhvi Kapoor on Monday described an AI-altered video featuring her from "Devara: Part 1" as a "serious violation", saying the criminal misuse of technology to objectify women was almost equivalent to sexual assault.
The AI-generated video, based on the "Chuttamalle" song featuring Kapoor and Jr NTR in the film, digitally manipulated the actor's appearance to depict her in a sexually explicit manner. The video has since been taken down from the platforms where it was circulating.
In a strongly worded post on her Instagram story, Kapoor said the issue went beyond the video itself and reflected the wider challenges women face in protecting their dignity and safety, including in the digital space.
"Using technology criminally to objectify women and circulate fabricated content without their consent is a serious violation. It is almost equivalent to sexual assault," she said.
Kapoor said consent, choice and respect for a woman's body should be fundamental, adding that several women in the film industry had faced similar violations.
"What a woman is comfortable with, where she draws the line, and what she chooses to do with her body are decisions that belong exclusively to her," she said.
She said the incident was part of a larger reality involving "the gaze, the judgement, the constant negotiation for safety" and the perception that women's boundaries were open to interpretation.
"The threat has now expanded into the digital sphere," Kapoor said, pointing out that women already face physical threats and fears in their everyday lives.
She thanked Jr NTR, actors Khushbu Sunder, Vijay Deverakonda and Chiranjeevi for publicly condemning the video's creation and circulation.
Jr NTR, in a post on X on Sunday, described the morphed video as "vile" and "shameful beyond words" and said he would pursue legal action against those responsible for creating and circulating it.
He also urged the Centre and state governments to take measures to curb the misuse of artificial intelligence.
Sunder said she would not remain silent when another woman was "digitally violated, degraded and humiliated".
"What has been done through AI is not a joke, not entertainment and not something we should ever normalise," she said, calling for greater protection of women's dignity and safety.
Chiranjeevi said he was "deeply disturbed" by the use of AI to create degrading and morphed videos of a woman and called the incident a wider issue rather than one concerning only Kapoor or the film.
He said he would take up the matter with the Telugu Film Chamber, Producers' Council and other industry bodies, while urging the film industry and governments to take stronger measures against such abuse.
Deverakonda also called for those responsible for circulating the video to face legal consequences, describing the incident as the "digital equivalent of sexual assault".
The actor questioned the growing insensitivity around online abuse and said AI should not be used to degrade or humiliate people.
The incident is the latest in a series of concerns raised by women actors over the misuse of AI and deepfake technology. Actors Rashmika Mandanna, Mrunal Thakur and Shalini Pandey have previously spoken out after morphed or manipulated videos involving them were circulated online.
