Riya looked at his shop. A young man bargained fiercely for a law textbook, then paid with a humble namaste . A toddler in a frilly dress wandered in, grabbed a comic book, and walked out. Her mother, trailing behind, simply nodded to Arvind. No theft. Just trust.
Most critically, the legal framework remains fragmented. India "does not have a dedicated deepfake law. Instead, the legal response sits across three statutes and a layer of executive guidance". A comprehensive, unified legislative framework specifically addressing synthetic media remains an urgent need.
The misuse of AI-generated content has led to devastating consequences, including blackmail and, in extreme cases, suicide. These tools are used for defamation, extortion, and the manipulation of personal reputations. The Technology Behind the Fake: How It Works
Actress Vidya Balan, too, was compelled to address the spread of an AI-generated video featuring her likeness. In a public statement, she clarified, "There are multiple videos currently circulating on social media and WhatsApp, which appear to feature me. However, I want to clarify that the videos are AI-generated and inauthentic," urging everyone to verify information before sharing. desifakes ai generated
Through this process, the AI can seamlessly swap faces in video clips, clone voices in multiple regional languages, or create entirely fabricated digital avatars that look and speak like real people. The Landscape: Creative Expression vs. Harmful Exploitation
Creating comedic parody videos of politicians interacting in fictional, lighthearted scenarios. 2. Political Misinformation and Propaganda
Specialized apps allow users to map a celebrity's face onto a different person's body in a video with high precision. The Impact and Ethics Riya looked at his shop
The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence has democratized media creation, bringing sophisticated digital tools to everyday internet users. However, this technological leap has also fueled a sharp rise in "desifakes"—a term used to describe AI-generated deepfakes, synthetic media, and manipulated imagery specifically targeting South Asian (Desi) public figures, celebrities, and private individuals.
Today, India sits at the epicenter of a global synthetic media revolution. From the glitzy world of Bollywood to the high-stakes arena of political elections, AI-generated content is simultaneously enchanting and terrifying the world's most socially engaged digital population, where 95% use WhatsApp, 94% are on YouTube, and 84% actively engage on Instagram.
AI-generated media exists on a broad spectrum, ranging from harmless entertainment to malicious cybercrimes. Positive and Creative Uses Her mother, trailing behind, simply nodded to Arvind
The Rashmika Mandanna incident was quickly followed by a cascade of similar violations. Soon, AI-generated obscene and manipulated videos of actors like Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, and Kajol flooded the internet. The crisis escalated to such a degree that in late 2025, Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi was forced to lodge a formal complaint with the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police after discovering AI-generated pornographic deepfakes using his name, likeness, and voice, stating the videos were "damaging the actor's decades-long reputation". He was not alone; actors Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR Jr.), R. Madhavan, and Shilpa Shetty also filed successful court orders to block synthetic images.
Tech companies and researchers are developing deepfake detection tools that analyze blood flow patterns in facial video pixels (photoplethysmography), inconsistencies in light reflections, and unnatural blinking rates. Furthermore, implementing cryptographic watermarking standardizations—such as the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA)—helps trace the origin of digital media from the moment it is captured or generated. Legal Regimes
While generative AI offers massive creative and commercial potential, the localized democratization of deepfake software has fueled an unprecedented wave of political disinformation, financial cyber-fraud, and non-consensual digital harm. 🛠️ The Tech Behind the Trend: How Desifakes Are Made