Janhvi Kapoor has issued a sharp public response after an AI-morphed video placed her in the song “Chuttamalle” from Devara without her consent. In a statement on Instagram Stories, she called the non-consensual use of technology “deeply violating” and said it is “bordering on sexual assault.”
Her note arrived after the clip circulated widely and drew condemnation from figures associated with the film, including co-star Jr NTR. The debate has moved beyond a single video to a wider conversation about consent, image rights and the everyday harassment women face online.
What the statement said
Kapoor argued that consent should not be treated as complicated. She wrote that a woman’s no must be respected even if she said yes before, and that what a woman wears does not give anyone permission to record or exploit her body. Those decisions, she said, belong exclusively to her.
- Consent is specific and can be withdrawn; it is not standing permission.
- Clothing and earlier choices do not override a person’s boundaries.
- The same disregard has now moved into digital spaces through AI-generated video.
She framed the incident as one chapter in a larger reality: the gaze, judgement and constant negotiation for safety that women contend with, now extended by technology. She also pushed back on the idea that the answer is merely to “protect your daughter,” calling instead for unlearning the conditioning that lets people believe they are entitled to cross someone else’s boundaries.
The support that followed
Kapoor thanked Jr NTR for speaking out, noting that when someone with that kind of reach condemns a violation that may not directly concern him, it makes a difference to women who have experienced similar behaviour. She also thanked Chiranjeevi, Vijay Deverakonda and Khushbu Sundar for amplifying the call for action.
For readers, this is a reminder that the boundary between fan culture, image circulation and violation is no longer only physical. Deepfake tools now make it possible to place an actor’s likeness in scenes she never agreed to, and the damage travels faster than corrections or takedowns.
What readers can do
The simplest intervention is not to share, save or search for the morphed clip. Each view rewards the person who created it and widens the audience for non-consensual content. If platforms are slow to act, withholding attention is the first pressure anyone can apply.
Her closing question—whether it is too much to ask to be treated and seen as a human being—frames the stakes plainly. “Her body. Her image. Her boundaries. Her choice,” she wrote.
Source: Mid-day
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