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AI technology, while opening up new possibilities, is increasingly being misused to target public figures with fabricated and objectionable content. The latest to face such abuse is Arjun Reddy fame Shalini Pandey, after a fake AI-generated video of the actress surfaced online and was widely circulated as genuine. The incident has now prompted Shalini to break her silence and address the issue directly.

Taking to Instagram, Shalini made it clear that the video is “completely fabricated and does not depict me.” Calling it “deeply disturbing” to see technology being misused to target and harm individuals, especially women, she strongly condemned the abuse and stressed that “such misuse of technology should never be normalised.”

Shalini also urged people who come across the video to “not share, forward, download, or engage with it,” instead asking them to report it immediately. She further appealed to everyone to be “responsible and mindful” and help stop its circulation rather than giving the fabricated content further reach.

Her response comes amid growing concerns over AI-generated deepfakes involving actresses, with Mrunal Thakur, Shruti Haasan, Rashmika Mandanna, Tabu and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan among those who have previously spoken out against such misuse.

Tollywood is witnessing a new celebrity pairing, with Balagam actress Kavya Kalyanram confirming her relationship with music composer Kaala Bhairava, son of veteran composer MM Keeravani.

Rumours about the two being together had been doing the rounds for some time, and Kavya has now put an end to the speculation with a heartfelt Instagram post.

Sharing a carousel of pictures with Bhairava, Kavya wrote, “Life update: I found my Yellow Paper Daisy. Some people come into our lives and make us feel like we are God’s favourite child! And when the right person walks in, rose-tinted glasses are not such a bad thing.”

She further added, “Thank you for lighting up my most mundane days and making me feel like the luckiest girl ever. Here’s to many, many more years of you knowing that I want that Diet Coke even after I said no!”

The post has since drawn warm wishes from friends, colleagues and fans, who congratulated the couple on their relationship.

With Kavya and Kaala Bhairava making their bond public, there is now considerable curiosity around their next steps, including whether and when they plan to make any announcement about marriage.