Ranveer Singh warns fans against deepfakes as video with political message goes viral
After Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh has issued a clarification of sorts about a deepfake video doing the rounds.
The video, being shared on Twitter and Instagram, shows Ranveer criticising the government with added AI-synthesised voiceover.
Ranveer’s message
Ranveer took to Twitter to share a cautionary message for his fans. “Deepfake se bacho dostonnnn (Beware of deepfake, friends).” The video is from Ranveer’s recent visit to Varanasi for a Manish Malhotra fashion show. Actor Kriti Sanon had also joined him for the trip.
In the original video, Ranveer had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his vision. But in the fake version, he was shown as criticising the rising unemployment under the PM’s rule.
Aamir Khan files FIR
Earlier this week, Mumbai Police registered an FIR against an unidentified person in connection with a deepfake video of actor Aamir Khan in which he is purportedly seen promoting a political party.
The FIR was filed on Wednesday at the Khar police station following a complaint by Khan’s office under relevant Indian Penal Code sections, including 419 (impersonation), 420 (cheating) and provisions of the Information Technology Act, the official said. In the purported 27-second clip, which seems to have been edited using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Khan can be seen talking about staying away from rhetoric (jumla).
The deepfake video shows the actor purportedly in a scene from a decade-old episode of his television show, Satyamev Jayate. A spokesperson for Khan on Tuesday said while the actor in the past raised electoral awareness through Election Commission campaigns, he never promoted any political party.
“We want to clarify that Mr Aamir Khan has never endorsed any political party throughout his 35-year career. He has dedicated his efforts to raising awareness through Election Commission public awareness campaigns for many past elections,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“We are alarmed by the recent viral video alleging that Aamir Khan is promoting a particular political party. He would like to clarify that this is a fake video and totally untrue. He has reported the matter to various authorities related to this issue, including filing an FIR with the Cyber Crime Cell of the Mumbai Police,” the statement said.