Several Indian celebrities like Rashmika Mandanna, Kajol, Katrina Kaif, and Alia Bhatt have been victims of deepfake videos. Recently, Nora Fatehi also faced the same situation. She expressed her shock on Instagram after reposting an advertisement from the clothing brand Lulumelon.official. The ad featured someone who looked like Nora endorsing an end-of-season sale, but Nora clarified that it was not her.
Earlier, Delhi Police claimed to have arrested the person responsible for creating a deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna. The accused, identified as 24-year-old Eemani Naveen from Andhra Pradesh, was arrested for morphing Rashmika's face onto London-based influencer Zara Patel in a video that went viral in November. This incident led to calls for regulations on social media.
Similar deepfake videos involving Alia Bhatt, Kajol, and Sachin Tendulkar followed, causing widespread concern. In response, the Indian government issued an advisory to social media platforms, emphasizing the legal consequences of creating and circulating deepfake content. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also met with social media platforms in December 2023 to review their efforts in combating misinformation and deepfakes.
Notices have been served to social media companies by Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, instructing them to take necessary measures to identify and remove disinformation from their platforms. Addressing the issue, he emphasized the seriousness of deepfake problems and urged social media platforms to be more aggressive in addressing this issue.
