In early October 2026, a two-year-old Telugu film song was suddenly trending on X again. The reason was not the song. It was an AI-altered clip of Janhvi Kapoor from "Chuttamalle" that she never made and never agreed to. Within 48 hours Jr NTR, Chiranjeevi and Vijay Deverakonda had spoken out, Janhvi had broken her silence and the Hyderabad police had opened a case. Here is the full timeline, what everyone said, which rumors are false and what the law says about it in India, the US and Europe.
What happened
Dates below are local time in India (IST).
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | Devara: Part 1 is released. "Chuttamalle" is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, sung by Shilpa Rao and choreographed by Bosco Martis. |
| Early Oct 2026 | The altered clip spreads on X. Some accounts send links to a so-called "longer version" by direct message. The exact date and the first account have not been made public. |
| Oct 3, afternoon | Jr NTR posts a statement on X, promises legal action against everyone who made or spread the clip and asks the state and central governments to regulate AI misuse. |
| Oct 3, evening | Vijay Deverakonda quotes Jr NTR's post and calls the clip "the digital equivalent of sexual assault". |
| Oct 3, night | Chiranjeevi posts a long statement in English and Telugu under #UniteAgainstDigitalAbuse. He proposes an industry committee and support cell, and tags the chief ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Amit Shah, Ashwini Vaishnaw and MeitY. |
| Oct 4, morning | Khushbu Sundar condemns the clip on X. |
| Oct 4 | Hyderabad Cyber Crime police reportedly register a case and start looking into who made the clip, where it was first posted and how far it spread (NewsMeter). |
| Oct 4 | A video claiming the clip's editor had been arrested turns out to be false. The footage shows an unrelated arrest from August (NewsMeter fact check). |
| Oct 4, evening | Janhvi Kapoor breaks her silence in a long Instagram Stories statement and thanks Jr NTR, Chiranjeevi, Vijay Deverakonda and Khushbu Sundar for speaking up. |
| Oct 5 | Police tell The Hans India they are writing to platforms to block the links. Vishnu Manchu, president of the Movie Artists Association (MAA), calls for a permanent industry-wide system against AI deepfakes. |
| Oct 8 | Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar says a viral photo of him "arresting" a suspect is itself AI-generated, and asks people to check before they share. |
| As of Oct 9 | No arrest has been publicly confirmed. Several outlets say the clip was later taken down, but not by whom or when. |
What they said
Jr NTR opened his post with "Disgusting, Sick and Shameless." He said he would not spare the people behind the clip, and asked fans: "Please do not watch, share or engage with such content." (NDTV)
Janhvi Kapoor called the misuse of technology "deeply violating, bordering on sexual assault". She said almost every woman in her industry has faced some version of this, that consent and respect for a woman's body should be basic, and that the problem is bigger than one video: the gaze, the judgment and the constant negotiation for safety. She ended with "Her body. Her image. Her boundaries. Her choice." (NDTV, Hindustan Times)
Chiranjeevi said the clip "cannot be dismissed as a joke or treated as entertainment", that both makers and spreaders must face the law, and asked people not to watch, download or share it even to condemn it, but to report it instead. He has been targeted by an AI fake himself and went to the police in 2025.
Vijay Deverakonda called it "the digital equivalent of sexual assault" and asked for the harshest legal consequences. Khushbu Sundar wrote that what was done is "not a joke, not entertainment" and should never be normalized. Vishnu Manchu said the incident should be read as "a warning", not an isolated case.
What is not true
Fakes about the fake have spread too. As of Oct 9:
- No one has been confirmed arrested. The "editor arrested" video shows a different arrest from August.
- The "Sajjanar arrests suspect" photo is AI-generated. The police commissioner's warning was about that photo, not about the original clip.
- There is no "full version" worth finding. Links promising a longer or uncut clip are bait. The whole thing is fabricated, and opening or forwarding it spreads the abuse further.
How these fakes are made
You do not need to know the tools to understand the problem. In broad terms, an AI model is given real footage of a person and generates new frames that keep their face and body shape but change what they are wearing or doing. Because the source is a real music video with real lighting and real movement, the result can look convincing at a glance.
Three things make it easy to spot once you know where to look:
- The source is public. "Chuttamalle" is an official song video. Anything that looks like a "leaked" or "uncut" version of it is an edit.
- AI struggles with fine detail. Edges of clothing, hands, jewelry and hair often blur, flicker or melt between frames.
- It never comes from an official account. Real footage from a film comes from the studio or the music label, not from a reupload with a clickbait caption.
Why it is not "just a video"
Fake explicit videos are the main use of deepfakes, not a side effect. A 2023 study by Home Security Heroes found that 98% of deepfake videos online were pornographic and 99% of the people targeted were women. The same report found that making a short fake from one clear photo took under half an hour and cost nothing.
Janhvi Kapoor has said she first saw morphed images of herself online when she was 15 (Indian Express). It is not only an Indian story either. In January 2024 explicit AI images of Taylor Swift spread on X so fast that X briefly blocked searches for her name (AP). That is why it matters even when the person is famous:
- There is no consent. The person never agreed to appear that way. Every view and every share repeats that.
- It does not stay with celebrities. The same methods are used on classmates, colleagues and ex-partners, who do not have a legal team.
- Searching and sharing keeps it alive. Fakes spread because people pass them on. Not clicking and not forwarding is the simplest thing you can do.
What the law says
This happened in India, but the same kind of abuse is now illegal or regulated in many places.
In India
- IT Rules, 2026 amendment. Since Feb 20, 2026, India's IT Rules cover AI-generated content, including deepfakes. Platforms must take down reported morphed or intimate content within 2 hours, and AI tools must block users from making non-consensual intimate or sexually explicit deepfakes (MeitY FAQ, summary by Hogan Lovells).
- IT Act, 2000. Sections 66E (publishing private images without consent), 67 (obscene material) and 67A (sexually explicit material) may apply to people who make or share this kind of content. The sections used in this case have not been made public.
In the US, EU and UK
- United States. The TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed in May 2025, makes it a crime to publish non-consensual intimate images, including AI "digital forgeries". Since May 19, 2026, platforms must remove reported content within 48 hours, and the FTC enforces it.
- European Union. Under Article 50 of the AI Act, anyone publishing a deepfake has had to disclose that it is AI-generated or manipulated since Aug 2, 2026.
- United Kingdom. Since Feb 6, 2026, creating a fake intimate image of an adult, or asking someone else to create one, is a criminal offense (SI 2026/31).
This is general information, not legal advice. If you are affected, talk to the police or a lawyer where you live.
What to do if the clip reaches you
- Do not open it, download it or forward it, not even to warn someone or to "check if it is real".
- Report it on the platform where you saw it, using the option for non-consensual intimate content or impersonation. X, Meta and YouTube all have one.
- Report it to the authorities. In India, use cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930. In the US, you can report to the FBI's IC3 or your local police.
- If it shows you or someone you know, save links and screenshots of where it was posted (not the video itself), then:
- ask Google to drop it from search results through its page on removing personal sexual content, real or fake
- if you are an adult and it shows you, use StopNCII.org to stop it being re-uploaded to partner platforms
- if it shows someone under 18, use Take It Down from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Responsible ways to use AI video
AI video does not have to work like this. The line is simple: only use faces of people who agreed to it, and never make anyone look sexual. Good uses look like this:
- Turning a photo of you and a friend into a meme you both laugh at
- Making a birthday or anniversary video for someone who knows it is coming
- Remaking a dance trend with your group, with everyone in on it
How RapVideo AI handles real faces
RapVideo AI turns photos into short rap and meme videos, like Gangnam Style AI or the APT AI video. Our terms are strict about faces:
- You must be in the photo, or everyone in it must have agreed to be in the video.
- Nothing sexual, and nothing that sexualizes anyone.
- No photos of children unless you are their parent or guardian.
We may block photos or videos our safety checks flag, and we remove content and suspend accounts that break these rules.
FAQ
Is the Chuttamalle AI video real?
No. It is an AI edit of the official "Chuttamalle" song video from Devara: Part 1. Janhvi Kapoor and Jr NTR have both condemned it.
Has anyone been arrested?
Not as of Oct 9. Hyderabad Cyber Crime police reportedly registered a case on Oct 4, but no arrest has been confirmed. The viral "arrest" video and photo are both fake.
Is it illegal to share it?
In India, sharing sexually explicit or obscene material, including fakes, can fall under Sections 67 and 67A of the IT Act. In the US, publishing non-consensual intimate images, real or AI-made, is a crime under the TAKE IT DOWN Act. Do not share it.
Can RapVideo AI make a video like this?
No. Everyone in the photo has to agree to be in the video, and sexual content is not allowed.
Where can I watch the real song?
On the official music label or film channels. Search for "Chuttamalle" with Devara: Part 1 and pick the official upload.
Make something everyone is in on
Grab a photo with a friend who is up for it and make a meme you can both post. Start creating →