Shruthi Narayanan, Rashmika Mandanna, Alia Bhatt, Aamir Khan: Actors Who Fell Prey to Deepfake and AI Cloning

The personal and family life of actors often make headlines as fans and audiences become curious to explore everything about their favourite stars. However, there are times when deepfake videos and AI-cloned images of celebrities are circulated online with inappropriate intentions. Actresses like Rashmika Mandanna, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Radhika Apte, and others have fallen prey to such issues. Now, Kollywood actress Shruthi Narayanan has faced a similar challenge on social media as her alleged private casting couch video has gone viral online. Here, we take a look at such incidents and the misuse of technology behind them.

Pic: Instagram

Actress Shruthi Narayanan has found herself in a difficult situation as one of her alleged private casting couch videos has been widely shared online. As soon as the video went viral, Shruthi reportedly made her Instagram account private to avoid further trolling and bullying. Without issuing an official statement, the actress took to Instagram to speak about AI deepfake videos and cloning. This suggests that her recent footage has been deliberately created using deepfake technology. She has also shared her latest saree photoshoot on Instagram with the comment section disabled.

Pic: Instagram

Actress Rashmika Mandanna faced a similar issue last year when an inappropriate video of her went viral on the internet. Later, a social media influencer came forward to clarify that Rashmika’s face had been morphed onto another person’s body in the AI-generated clip. Subsequently, the Animal actress took on the role of a national ambassador for promoting cyber safety. Rashmika shared a video of herself announcing the news on Instagram.

“Sometime back, my deepfake video was shared on social media, which was and is a cybercrime. After this incident, I decided to take a stand against cybercrime and spread awareness. I am happy to receive support from the Indian government... We have to stay alert and stay safe—not just to protect ourselves but also to prevent such crimes,” she was heard saying in the clip.

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Alia Bhatt also faced a similar issue last year when a deepfake video of her went viral online. A woman resembling Alia was seen wearing a modern outfit and making obscene gestures towards the camera. Later, another video surfaced in which Alia’s face was morphed onto another body in an inappropriate manner, causing concern among internet users. Fans of the Jigra actress took to social media to call AI "dangerous and scary."

Pic: Instagram

A similar experience occurred with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shahid Kapoor when rumours about their relationship were circulating. An intimate kissing video of the duo was leaked online. In an old interview with Mid-Day, Shahid addressed the video leak and its impact on him.

“I was destroyed at that time. I was a 24-year-old kid and felt like my privacy had been invaded, and I could not do anything to protect myself,” he said. The actor also revealed the emotional toll it took on him due to his young age and burgeoning cinematic career.

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A manipulated video of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan recently circulated on social media, falsely suggesting that he endorsed a political party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The video, which appears to show Khan discussing different types of ‘guarantees’ given to citizens, was altered using AI-generated audio to mislead viewers. A fact-checking investigation by PTI revealed that the original footage was nearly a decade old and had been tampered with to align with current political narratives.

The false claims emerged amid election campaigns, with both the BJP and Congress promoting their manifestos. Following the spread of the deepfake video, Khan’s team lodged a complaint with Mumbai’s Khar Police Station, citing impersonation and fraud.

Pic: Instagram