AI-generated video of Ranveer Singh's alleged political endorsement goes viral
A recent artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video featuring Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh has sparked controversy. The video, which appears to show Singh endorsing a political party, has gone viral on social media. The actor's voice has been artificially replicated to make it seem like he is campaigning for the Congress party. The footage used in the controversial video was taken from Singh's recent visit to Varanasi, where he spoke about his profound spiritual experience in the city.
Singh's Varanasi visit footage used in video
During Singh's trip to Varanasi, he participated in a fashion show at Namo Ghat, walking the ramp with actor Kriti Sanon for designer Manish Malhotra. Prior to the event, both stars visited the Vishwanath temple and shared their spiritual experiences with news agency ANI. These clips were manipulated to create the controversial 40-odd-second video now circulating on social media. The Simmba actor seems to be urging people to vote for Congress, the main opposition, in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections.
Catch the altered clip here
Similar incident involving actor Aamir Khan surfaced before
This incident is reminiscent of a similar situation involving Bollywood actor Aamir Khan. An AI-generated video featuring Khan endorsing a political party had also gone viral. In response, Khan denounced the video as "fake" and reported it to the Cyber Crime Cell of Mumbai Police. The footage used in Khan's video was taken from Satyameva Jayate, a television show he hosted nearly a decade ago.
Mumbai Police have begun probe in Khan's case
Following Khan's complaint, Mumbai Police registered an FIR in the deepfake AI video case against an unknown person and initiated an investigation. The FIR was registered under relevant IPC sections such as 419 (impersonation), 420 (cheating), and other related clauses of the Information Technology Act.
