AI will erase you: RGV's blunt warning to film industry amid Janhvi deepfake row

Following the film industry's fierce backlash against actor Janhvi Kapoor's AI-morphed deepfake, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma issued a blunt warning to critics on social media. He suggested that resisting artificial intelligence is a futile battle that will only leave stars behind.

In Short

• Ram Gopal Varma shared a cryptic remark on artificial intelligence
• He suggested joining AI instead of resisting its growing influence
• Varma had earlier criticised the way celebrities responded to Chuttamalle morphed video

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has taken a cryptic jibe at the Telugu film industry’s fierce backlash against an AI-morphed video of actor Janhvi Kapoor, suggesting that stars cannot win a war against artificial intelligence and should instead adapt to it.

Varma’s comments come amid an outpouring of support from film industry stalwarts for Kapoor, after a sexually explicit, AI-generated version of her song Chuttamalle from Devara went viral online.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Varma wrote, "When you can’t WIN, you should JOIN. If you fight A I, it will ERASE you out of EXISTENCE (sic)."

The filmmaker's remarks appear to target the collective outrage from industry figures, including Jr NTR, Chiranjeevi, and Vijay Deverakonda, who strongly condemned the deepfake and called for strict legal and regulatory action.

Varma had earlier criticised the way celebrities responded to the incident, arguing that public statements ended up amplifying the offensive material. In a previous post, Varma remarked that the outcry only served to draw massive attention to the clip, stating that celebrities had succeeded in making "crores and crores of people see the objectionable link" and that focus should have instead been placed on apprehending the perpetrator quietly.

The controversy erupted after Jr NTR publicly shredded those behind the manipulated clip, calling it "disgusting, sick and shameless" and warning of legal action.

Veteran actor Chiranjeevi also slammed the misuse of technology, urging Telugu film bodies and law enforcement to intervene, while Vijay Deverakonda termed the creation and spread of such content as "bordering on sexual assault".

While film personalities continue to demand strict regulations against deepfakes and digital harassment, Varma’s posts reflect a starkly contrasting view, questioning both the strategy of public call-outs and the feasibility of fighting AI technology.

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