The disturbing AI deepfake incident that has rightly angered our industry should not be looked at as an isolated incident.
It is a warning.
Ram Pothineni made an important point: “They’re faceless, so they’re fearless.” His suggestion of Aadhaar-linked accountability for online identities deserves serious discussion. Freedom of expression must always be protected. But anonymity cannot become a weapon to abuse, defame, sexually violate or deliberately destroy someone.
And this problem does not begin or end with deepfakes.
For quite some time, I have been concerned about organised and targeted negativity against films, actors and filmmakers within our own industry.
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.
Sundeep Kishan recently spoke publicly about targeted, paid negativity against him and his film even before its release. The Paradise had to approach a court before release seeking protection against defamatory and damaging content. These are not issues we should casually dismiss.
Behind every film are years of work, hundreds of families and producers risking enormous amounts of money.
Watch the film. Love it. Hate it. Criticise it brutally if you genuinely feel that way.
But first, LET THE FILM RELEASE.
What is even more unfortunate is that some of this comes from within our own ecosystem: fan groups fighting fan groups, anonymous pages pretending to be neutral, and accounts using photographs of actors as their DPs while behaving in ways those actors may never endorse.
What exactly are we achieving?
If one Telugu film loses, Telugu cinema does not win.
The cake is big enough for everyone to have a piece.
As President of the Movie Artistes Association, I want to make it clear that MAA is compiling information on accounts and networks repeatedly involved in targeted abuse and malicious campaigns, including accounts misusing actors’ photographs and identities to mislead people.
This is NOT about stopping criticism.
It is about accountability.
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.
I request the Telugu Film Chamber, Producers Council, MAA and all stakeholders to sit together and create a permanent industry-wide mechanism to address AI deepfakes, impersonation, coordinated malicious campaigns and deliberate online sabotage.
Not another meeting that ends with a photograph.
Not another phone call.
A SYSTEM.
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 🙏
The only thing all the celebrities succeeded in , is to publicise and thereby make crores and crores of people see the objectionable link ..The smart thing would have been to concentrate on catching the perpetrator and publicise that ..Instead what they did is to tweet and bring enormous attention to the victim’s identity and the offensive content which is also a crime
#Baththa A Wholesome Entertainer That Strikes the Right Chords!
A very simple story set in a single village, but it works because of the way it is written and narrated. The director neatly blends suspense, thriller elements, comedy, and emotion, with most of it landing well. The film does feel stretched in places and the pacing dips here and there, but it never stops being engaging. The climax justification feels a convenient and could’ve been handled better, though the heartwarming feel stays intact till the end.
Vijay Sethupathi and Sabari are superb, with the rest of the cast also doing well. Sai Abhyankar’s music is okay, but it could’ve been much better especially during some key scenes.
Simple at its core, but the writing, performances, and heart make this work well!
Rating: 3.25/5
#Baththa A Wholesome Entertainer That Strikes the Right Chords!
A very simple story set in a single village, but it works because of the way it is written and narrated. The director neatly blends suspense, thriller elements, comedy, and emotion, with most of it landing well. The film does feel stretched in places and the pacing dips here and there, but it never stops being engaging. The climax justification feels a convenient and could’ve been handled better, though the heartwarming feel stays intact till the end.
Vijay Sethupathi and Sabari are superb, with the rest of the cast also doing well. Sai Abhyankar’s music is okay, but it could’ve been much better especially during some key scenes.
Simple at its core, but the writing, performances, and heart make this work well!
Rating: 3.25/5
Disgusting, Sick and Shameless.
In a land that worships women as mothers and goddesses, where "Matrudevo Bhava" is not just a phrase but a part of our culture, some people have fallen so low that they are using AI to disrespect a woman in the most degrading way possible. Using AI to create something this vile is shameful beyond words.
To the scumbags behind this morphed Chuttamalle video, I will not spare any of you. I will take every possible legal action against those who created it and those who are spreading it.
Please do not watch, share or engage with such content. Today it is someone else. Tomorrow, it could be your mother, sister, wife or daughter.
This is a serious issue, and I urge all the state governments and the Government of India to act strongly and bring in strict regulations against the misuse of AI.
I am deeply disturbed by the use of AI to create degrading and morphed videos of a woman. Such acts are cruel, shameful and completely unacceptable. I strongly condemn them.
This is not an issue concerning just one individual or one film. Today, it has happened to someone else. Tomorrow, it could happen to you, me or anyone we know. We cannot remain silent simply because it has not affected us personally. Every one of us has a responsibility to stand against this abuse.
Those who create such content and those who deliberately spread or amplify it must be held accountable under the law. This cannot be dismissed as a joke or treated as entertainment.
I will take this matter up with the Telugu Film Chamber, the Producers’ Council and our affiliated industry bodies, and recommend the formation of a dedicated committee and support cell. Working closely with Cyber Crime authorities, this team should support those affected, coordinate efforts to remove such content and pursue legal action against those responsible.
The entire Telugu film fraternity must come together for this effort. Our associations, artists, technicians, audiences and fans all have a role to play. I also urge the Central and State Governments to take strong and effective measures against the misuse of AI for such abuse.
Please do not watch, download, share or circulate these videos, even with the intention of condemning them. Report them to the respective platforms and Cyber Crime authorities instead.
Protecting human dignity is our collective responsibility. Let us stand together, speak up and act.
#UniteAgainstDigitalAbuse
@revanth_anumula@ncbn@AmitShah@AshwiniVaishnaw@GoI_MeitY
Disgusting, Sick and Shameless.
In a land that worships women as mothers and goddesses, where "Matrudevo Bhava" is not just a phrase but a part of our culture, some people have fallen so low that they are using AI to disrespect a woman in the most degrading way possible. Using AI to create something this vile is shameful beyond words.
To the scumbags behind this morphed Chuttamalle video, I will not spare any of you. I will take every possible legal action against those who created it and those who are spreading it.
Please do not watch, share or engage with such content. Today it is someone else. Tomorrow, it could be your mother, sister, wife or daughter.
This is a serious issue, and I urge all the state governments and the Government of India to act strongly and bring in strict regulations against the misuse of AI.