Javed Akhtar reacts to video showing him wearing topi, saying he ‘has turned to God’, mulls legal action: ‘Damaging my reputation’

Javed Akhtar becomes target of disinformation generated using AI. (Credit: Facebook/@JavedAkhtarJadoo)

While the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has proven beneficial to many across various fields, there have also been instances where people have had to pay for its dark side. Celebrities have become the most common targets of disinformation generated using AI, including deepfake videos and morphed images. From Rashmika Mandanna, Amitabh Bachchan, and Alia Bhatt to Ranveer Singh and Shilpa Shetty, many have faced the wrath of AI over the past few years. The latest to fall prey to this is legendary screenwriter-lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Recently, an AI-generated video of him went viral on social media, reportedly showing Javed wearing a skullcap and proclaiming that he had “turned to God.” A staunch atheist for years, his ‘sudden change of heart’ piqued the interest of many, and the clip became a hot topic in the virtual world in no time. Subsequently, Javed himself took to social media to dismiss the video as fabricated.

He wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “A fake video is in circulation showing my fake computer generated picture with a topi on my head claiming that ultimately I have turned to God. It is rubbish. I am seriously considering to report this to the cyber police and ultimately dragged the person responsible for this fake news and those few who forward it to the court for damaging my reputation and credibility (sic).”

Javed’s post quickly garnered a lot of support, with many stating that such manipulated content poses a significant threat to people. “Deepfakes like this are pure poison. Thanks for calling it out and fighting back. Misinformation is the real evil here. Take legal action, you’ve got support,” one user wrote, while another one quipped, “The irony is that the person who made the video needs God much more than you do right now specifically to help them find a way to pay their upcoming legal fees!” One netizen added, “Religionists proving to be the most insecure lot yet again!”

Recently, actor-politician Kangana Ranaut had also slammed the rampant circulation of her morphed images online. Dismissing photos showing her exiting Parliament in blue, brown, and rust-coloured suits as fake, the Mandi MP wrote on social media, “Originally, these are my pictures from the Parliament in saris. Stop using AI on my pictures. This is violating beyond words, every day I wake up to see myself in various Al clothes, various makeups, even in edited photos, people should stop dressing up others!! Please stop with these Al edits and let me choose/decide how I want to look and what I want to wear when it is entirely my prerogative.”

According to McAfee’s annual “Most Dangerous Celebrity: Deepfake Deception List,” 90 per cent of Indians have “encountered fake or AI-generated celebrity endorsements, with victims losing an average of Rs 34,500 to such scams.” The report also named Shah Rukh Khan as the most exploited celebrity, followed by Alia Bhatt.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas stood at fourth on the list. Other celebrities named in it were Elon Musk, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mr Beast, Lionel Messi, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian and members of the Korean boy band BTS.