FIR filed against unidentified person in Aamir Khan deepfake video case

Mumbai: An official claimed that the Mumbai Police have filed a formal complaint (FIR) against an unidentified person in relation to a deepfake video that purports to show Bollywood actor Aamir Khan endorsing a political party.

In accordance with relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, such as 419 (impersonation), 420 (cheating), and the Information Technology Act, Khan's office submitted a complaint, which led to the filing of an FIR at the Khar police station on Wednesday, said the official.

In the purported 27-second clip, which seems to have been edited using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Khan can be seen talking about staying away from rhetoric (jumla).

The deepfake video shows the actor purportedly in a scene from a decade-old episode of his television show, 'Satyamev Jayate'.

A spokesperson for Khan on Tuesday said while the actor in the past raised electoral awareness through Election Commission campaigns, he never promoted any political party.

"We want to clarify that Mr Aamir Khan has never endorsed any political party throughout his 35-year career. He has dedicated his efforts to raising awareness through Election Commission public awareness campaigns for many past elections," the spokesperson said in a statement.

"We are alarmed by the recent viral video alleging that Aamir Khan is promoting a particular political party. He would like to clarify that this is a fake video and totally untrue. He has reported the matter to various authorities related to this issue, including filing an FIR with the Cyber Crime Cell of the Mumbai Police," the statement said.

The "Laal Singh Chaddha" actor has also appealed to people to come out and vote and be an active part of the electoral process, his spokesperson added.

The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.

With PTI inputs