Kamal Ghorui
Janhvi Kapoor recently spoke about her first encounter with deepfakes, revealing how she once found her morphed images circulating online as a teenager. The actor admitted that while she initially tried to normalise the experience, it continues to trouble her even today.
‘I saw a picture of me on a porn site ’
In her interview with Raj Shamani, Janhvi shared that her first brush with what she now recognises as a deepfake happened during her school days. “I don’t know if it was a deepfake, but it was something like that. I saw a picture of me on a porn site,” she said.Recalling the moment, she added, “We had IT class in school and boys used to go on those sites for fun. My pictures were on there. And this was in school. So that was a weird experience.”At the time, she said she tried to rationalise it. “At some point, I was like — this is the cost you have to pay. There is no morality in a lot of these things with social media,” she said, adding that her perspective has since changed.
‘I am not at peace with it’
Reflecting on the present, the actor admitted she still struggles with the impact of such content. “I am not at peace with it. There are visuals of me out there, even shared by official news pages, which are completely AI. I have never worn those clothes or been photographed like that,” she said.She pointed out how easily such visuals can distort reality. “It gets circulated as if it’s something I’ve put out. That creates a certain kind of impression,” she added.Janhvi also highlighted how this can affect her work. “If tomorrow I tell a director I’m not comfortable wearing something, someone can pull up those pictures and say, ‘But you’ve done this before.’ Even if they don’t say it, it makes you think,” she explained.
‘I don’t feel I have that much of a voice’
Despite her discomfort, Janhvi admitted she often feels hesitant to speak out. “It upsets me, of course. But I feel like I don’t have that much of a voice to complain,” she said.She added that perceptions around privilege complicate the issue. “There’s this attitude — you’ve got so much in life, thoda seh lo, don’t complain. So I don’t think my voice has that credibility yet. There will be backlash, and it might take away from the cause,” she said.However, she stressed that the issue is widespread. “It’s not just me. I think a lot of others have spoken about it as well,” she noted.
Calls out non-consensual sexualisation
The actor also addressed the way women, especially public figures, are photographed and consumed. Recalling a recent interaction with paparazzi, she said, “I told them — it’s invasive, it’s not consensual. Even if we step out dressed a certain way, we’re not expecting someone to zoom into a body part.”She added, “For money and views, you’re commodifying a woman’s body against her will. How do you respect yourself doing that?”At the same time, she acknowledged the larger trend. “Sexualised content is the most consumed content globally. That’s why it keeps getting pushed,” she said.
‘I can’t afford to stop caring’
Janhvi concluded by reflecting on how such narratives shape public perception and her career. “The perception created affects audiences, filmmakers and the kind of opportunities I get,” she said.Calling it “the tragedy of the human mind,” she added, “It’s wrong, but it is what it is.”While she wishes she could ignore it, she admitted that’s not possible right now. “I wish I could say I don’t care, but it does matter. I’m not in a position of power where I can say that and still get work,” she said.“For now, I’ll play it safe, do what I have to, till I build that credibility. Then maybe I can do things my way,” she signed off.
