Mumbai Police launch investigation into deepfake video of Aamir Khan

Mumbai Police launch investigation into deepfake video of Aamir Khan
18 Apr 2024

The recent deepfake case against Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has raised questions about the incorrect and manipulative usage of advanced technologies.

Now, in a major development, Mumbai Police has registered an FIR against an unknown person and initiated an investigation.

The contentious video, which falsely depicted Khan endorsing a political party ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections, has been publicly discredited by the actor's representatives.

Details of the FIR registered by Mumbai Police
Legalities

Per Mid-Day, the FIR was registered under relevant IPC sections such as 419 (impersonation), 420 (cheating), and other related clauses of the Information Technology Act.

To recall, the fake video utilized deepfake techniques to feature Khan in a scene from an old episode of his popular social awareness television show Satyamev Jayate.

He seemingly asked people to stay away from jumlas (rhetorics) and the video urged viewers to vote for Congress, the ruling party BJP's rival.

Khan's representatives denounced the deepfake video
Official statement

On Tuesday, a representative for Khan issued a statement.

"We are alarmed by the recent viral video [and] 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. Mr. Khan would like to urge all Indians to come out and vote and be an active part of our electoral process."

What does the term 'deepfake' mean?
Meaning

Per Tech Target, "Deepfake AI is a type of artificial intelligence used to create convincing images, audio, and video hoaxes. The term describes both the technology and the resulting bogus content and is a portmanteau (combination) of deep learning and fake."

"Deepfakes often transform existing source content where one person is swapped for another. They [can] also create entirely original content."

Earlier, actors Amitabh Bachchan and Rashmika Mandanna have been victims of it, too.

Career: Khan's work calendar
Upcoming projects

Khan was last seen in 2022's Laal Singh Chaddha, co-starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, an ambitious project that unfortunately did not meet critical and commercial expectations.

Now, he is gearing up for RS Prasanna's Sitaare Zameen Par, alongside Genelia D'Souza.

Additionally, Khan will produce his first collaboration with Rajkumar Santoshi's Lahore: 1947, featuring Sunny Deol in the lead role.

Khan's most recent venture is his production Laapataa Ladies—a comedy-drama helmed by his ex-wife Kiran Rao.