Aamir Khan deepfake video: Mumbai Police launches FIR

The Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against an unidentified person in connection with a deepfake video of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan in which he is purportedly seen promoting a political party, an official said.

The FIR was filed on Wednesday, 18 April at the Khar police station following a complaint by Khan's office under relevant Indian Penal Code sections, including 419 (impersonation), 420 (cheating) and provisions of the Information Technology Act, the official said.

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 19 April to 1 June. The results will be announced on 4 June.