After a manipulated video of actor Rashmika Mandanna went viral, the internet has been flooded with doctored images of Sara Tendulkar with cricketer Shubman Gill and a still shot of Katrina Kaif from the upcoming film “Tiger 3.”Sara Tendulkar, in an AI-generated image depicting her hugging Shubman Gill, has become the latest victim of digitally altered images circulating on the web. This original image, featuring Sara with her brother ArjunTendulkar, has been tampered with to replace Arjun with Shubman Gill, with Gill’s face seamlessly superimposed onto Arjun’s body.
D-Intent Data, an account dedicated to detecting “fake news,” uncovered the unaltered version of the Tendulkar siblings’ photograph was subsequently manipulated to include Shubman Gill’s face. The original photograph was shared by Sara Tendulkar on September 24 on Instagram, to celebrate her brother Arjun’s birthday.
Similarly, an image of Katrina Kaif in a combat pose from “Tiger 3,” where she was originally wearing a white towel, has been digitally altered to depict her in a white two-piece top and bottom. Advanced AI tools were employed to manipulate the image, resulting in a realistic transformation.
This wave of deepfakes has captured the attention of the Indian public, with many condemning these actions. X user Pranit said, “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.”
These incidents follow closely on the heels of the Rashmika Mandanna case, where the actress’s likeness was superimposed onto the body of a woman dressed in black entering an elevator. The deepfake video garnered the attention of actor Amitabh Bachchan, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to demand legal action.
In response, Union Minister of State for Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar shared that under the IT rules, platforms are legally obligated to remove any form of misinformation within 36 hours of receiving a report.
He emphasised that if platforms fail to comply, aggrieved individuals have the option to seek legal redress under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code.