Janhvi Kapoor has broken her silence on the AI-altered video featuring her from the Devara: Part 1 song Chuttamalle.
Calling out the misuse of technology to objectify women, the actor said that circulating fictionalised content without consent is “deeply violating”.
Sharing a detailed statement, Janhvi said, “The criminal misuse of technology to objectify women and circulate fictionalised content without consent is deeply violating, bordering on sexual assault. Almost every woman in my industry has faced some version of this, and women everywhere are increasingly being subjected to it.”
She went on to stress that consent should never be treated as something complicated. “Consent, choice and respect for a woman’s body should be among the most basic notions of humanity, yet somehow, they continue to be treated as complicated. They are not.”
Janhvi also spoke about the importance of respecting a woman’s boundaries regardless of what she wears or what she may have consented to in the past.
She wrote, “It is surprising that it still seems too nuanced for some people to understand that even if a woman says yes five days in a row and no on the sixth, that no must be respected. If she happens to wear a miniskirt, it does not give anyone permission to put a camera up her skirt, capture violating angles or visually exploit her body. 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. This is basic.”
The actor said the issue is much bigger than the AI videos involving her and speaks to the larger concerns women continue to face.
“This goes far beyond the AI videos I have dealt with over the last few days, or anything I have personally experienced throughout my career. It is about the larger reality of being a woman, the gaze, the judgement, the constant negotiation for safety, and the feeling that our boundaries somehow remain open to interpretation. That threat has now expanded into the digital sphere, when we have not even adequately addressed the very real, physical fear that continues to disrupt the lives of women every day.”
Janhvi also called for a change in the way people are taught to think about women’s safety and boundaries.
“The answer cannot simply be to “protect your daughter.” We also need to undo the conditioning that makes people believe they are entitled to violate somebody else’s boundaries in the first place, and part of that change will come from exemplary men. With the moral compass and the spine to say clearly what is right and what is wrong.”
She thanked her Devara co-star Jr NTR for speaking out against the video.
“I am deeply touched by NTR sir for taking such a strong stand and condemning this violation. Thank you, sir. When someone whom millions look up to speaks up about something that may not directly concern him, it makes a difference to every woman who has experienced some degree of this behaviour.”
Janhvi also thanked Chiranjeevi, Vijay and Khushbu Sundar for supporting her and speaking against the misuse of AI.
“Thank you also to Chiranjeevi sir, Vijay and Khushbu ma’am for amplifying that sentiment and calling for action against this mentality and these immoral practices. I hope everything unfolding around us right now forces those who participate in any form of harassment to introspect. Is it really too much for a woman to ask to simply be treated and seen as a human being?”
She ended her statement with three words that summed up her message: “Her body. Her image. Her boundaries. Her choice.”
The controversy began after an AI-generated deepfake video using footage from Chuttamalle, which featured Janhvi and Jr NTR, was circulated online. The footage was digitally manipulated to depict Janhvi in a sexually explicit and degrading manner.
Jr NTR was among the first to publicly condemn the video. He called the act “disgusting, sick and shameless” and said legal action should be taken against those responsible.
Other prominent names from the film industry, including Chiranjeevi, Vijay Deverakonda and Khushbu Sundar, also spoke out against the misuse of AI and expressed their support for Janhvi. They called for stronger action against such practices and highlighted the need for greater accountability around digitally manipulated content.
