The world of Bollywood finds itself in turmoil as a recent wave of deepfake incidents sweeps across the industry, igniting concerns over the proliferation of deceptive and artificially generated content through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The most recent incident has sent shockwaves throughout the film fraternity and the general public, revolving around digitally manipulated images of two beloved stars, Katrina Kaif and Rashmika Mandanna.
The controversy took centre stage when a deepfake image of Katrina Kaif, who is slated to feature in the upcoming film “Tiger 3,” surfaced. Initially, an authentic image portrayed the actress engaged in a scene from the film where she appears to be in a combat scenario with a Hollywood stuntwoman, cloaked in a towel. This particular scene was also prominently featured in the “Tiger 3” trailer. However, as per NDTV reports, a manipulated version of this image began circulating widely, depicting her in an altered outfit—replacing the towel with a low-cut white top and matching bottom.
The manipulated image, created using AI tools capable of altering facial features in both videos and pictures, triggered an outpouring of outrage and vehement reactions on various social media platforms. Many expressed their dismay and apprehension, decrying the morphed image as an unethical use of AI to distort the appearances of women, potentially leading to legal ramifications.
Katrina Kaif’s towel scene from Tiger 3 gets morphed. Deepfake picture is garnering attention and it’s really shameful. AI is a great tool but using it to morph women is outright criminal offence. Feels disgusted#tiger3 #morphedpic #katrina @BeingSalmanKhan @yrf @KatrinaKaifFB pic.twitter.com/Jv0ABOsvTQ
— Pranit (@pranit_pranu) November 7, 2023
Deep Fake is new avatar in Bollywood
Continuously spreading pics of actresses like #RashmikaMandana and now next #KatrinaKaif
But follow this through deep fake negative publicity is happening for #Tiger3Booking pic.twitter.com/wXw3NlIhUr
— Abhisheek M (@artofbrandingg) November 8, 2023
What compounds the situation is that this is not an isolated case in the Bollywood sphere. Earlier, a deepfake video emerged, featuring the actress Rashmika Mandanna, showing a woman dressed in black entering an elevator, with Rashmika’s face digitally superimposed onto the figure.
In light of these mounting concerns, the Indian government has taken a proactive stance by sending reminders to social media platforms regarding established regulations. This move comes in response to the viral deepfake video and the heightened worries about the misuse of AI for the propagation of disinformation, emphasizing the need for increased vigilance in curbing the spread of such misleading content.
