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Peddi presenter says youth have become ‘polluted’ due to AI after Janhvi Kapoor's deepfake; films like Hanuman Ansh will instil a ‘fear of God’

Producer Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers, the filmmaker behind Pushpa, will distribute Hanuman Ansh's Telugu version.

Published on: Oct 7, 2026, 15:49:44 IST
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Producer Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers spoke to the press in Hyderabad on Wednesday, announcing the release date of the Telugu-dubbed version of the sleeper hit Hanuman Ansh. He addressed the issue of toxicity on social media, which is bleeding into the generation of realistic deepfakes with AI. Ravi, who is distributing the Telugu version of the film through Mythri Movie Distributors LLP in Nizam, also said that films like Hanuman Ansh will instil a ‘fear of God’ in people and are much-needed.

Producer calls Hanuman Ansh collections a slap to the face

Amid Janhvi Kapoor's deepfake issue, producer Ravi Shankar says films like Hanuman Ansh will put a fear of God in people.
Amid Janhvi Kapoor's deepfake issue, producer Ravi Shankar says films like Hanuman Ansh will put a fear of God in people.

Ravi’s production house has produced massive hits like Srimanthudu, Rangasthalam, Pushpa, and more. Talking about the collections of the film on Neem Karoli Baba, he said, “It is like a slap in the face to see a film with a ₹2 crore investment gross ₹400 crore in collections. We are spending crores of rupees with not much to show for it. But to get ₹400 crore for ₹2 crore, that’s a real pan-Indian film. So, wherever possible, if you have skipped releasing it in any language, please release it in all languages. This film is a massive hit, not just revenue-wise. It’s a much-needed film.” Hanuman Ansh is releasing in Telugu on October 9.

Says Hanuman Ansh will put the fear of God in people

Janhvi Kapoor’s AI video condemned

An objectionable deepfake video of Janhvi from the song Chuttamalle in Devara: Part 1 recently circulated on social media. Her co-star Jr NTR first spoke out publicly against it, calling those who made it ‘Disgusting, Sick and Shameless.’He also promised to take legal action against those who made and circulated it. He also urged the state and central governments to impose strict regulations on the use of AI.

Janhvi also issued a public statement calling it a serious violation and criminal misuse of technology. “Using technology criminally to objectify women and circulate fabricated content without their consent is a serious violation. It is almost equivalent to sexual assault. Almost every woman in my industry has faced this in some form. Now women everywhere are becoming victims of it,” she wrote.

Khushbu Sundar, Vijay Deverakonda, Ram Pothineni, Chiranjeevi and several others also condemned those who made and spread the deepfake.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeshita Nyayapati

Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good film that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise. As for the rest of the week, she's here reporting the juiciest news in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi or bringing out the best of celebs in interviews. While her niche is Telugu cinema, Neeshita likes to dabble in a little bit of everything to stay up to date. From film announcements to scandals and hard news angles, she has explored it all. A good book, a comforting cup of hot chocolate, puppy kisses and a stunning beach view are all she needs to unwind. Her passion for biking and travelling has taken her to various places across the country. She has found peace in everything from the frozen lakes of Gangtok to the coffee plantations of Coorg and the dense forests of Bandipur, to the monasteries of Darjeeling. But no matter where she goes, Neeshita loves coming across inspiring and moving stories.

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